The Fugitive
by the green lama
Summary: Sequel to 'Tales of an Adventurer.' 1939, and the Venture heads south to avoid unfolding world events. A new passenger comes aboard, but how can the worry of the Captain be explained to her when they are blown off course in the Indian Ocean?
1. Chapter 1: The Paper

**A/N:** This is the sequel to 'Tales of an Adventurer'. It isn't necessary to read that first, but is advisable. As before, I do not own any of the original King Kong characters, places or events. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.

**Chapter 1: The Paper**

Early August 1939, and New York's hot summer was nearing its end. The streets were crowded one late afternoon, and a general mood of light-hearted laziness seemed to accompany the warm weather. Pedestrians ambled along at an easy pace, all save for one young man.

Of medium height and build with short, mousy-coloured hair, he raced along the pavement regardless of those around him. Clutched in one hand was a rolled up newspaper; in the other, a small envelope. Hurtling round a corner, he ran straight into a well-dressed man coming the other way, scattering paper up into the air.

"Watch where you're going, kid!"

"Sorry, mister!" The reply was distant: the runner was already much further along the street.

He made his way swiftly towards the docks, slowing briefly to greet his destination with a smile, before sprinting up the gangway of an old tramp steamer.

"Skipper! Skipper!"

Scrambling up steep staircases, he eventually tumbled through the door of the wheelhouse.

"Skip… Oh, sorry, skipper."

"Yes, Jimmy?"

Captain Englehorn of the Venture turned to face his crewmember with an expression of annoyance. Behind him, his wife Jane was leaning against the table with pinker-than-usual cheeks.

"This is for you."

Jimmy held out the paper and the Captain eyed it nonchalantly.

"I don't read the paper."

"You'll want to read this one, sir."

Englehorn's eyes narrowed curiously, but he took the proffered newspaper and unrolled it.

"What's that, Jimmy?" Jane nodded towards the envelope he held with a smile.

"It's just a letter from Suki."

Jane's smile faded. She'd never heard him mention his 'Suki' before with such little affection, but then she followed his gaze to her husband. He was studying the front page with alarm.

"What is it, Frederick?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern. He threw down the paper on the table and she too froze as the headline hit her:

'War in Europe.'

* * *

What's the matter, mum? You've been awfully quiet all evening."

Jane smiled sadly at her son. "It's nothing, Freddie," she said quietly. "Daddy just received some news."

"What news?"

She sighed. The six-year-old watched her suspiciously, looking, as he always did, strikingly like his father. He'd actually started dressing like the Captain now, with his own seaman's cap and all, and even spoke basic German. He watched her now with his head on one side.

"There will be some fighting in Europe," she told him. "My country and… and your father's are involved."

"Will he have to go and help?"

"No, of course not. He's a little shocked, that's all."

There was a knock at the door of the cabin, and Jane glanced up to see Jimmy. He greeted her with a small smile.

"Thank goodness!" Freddie exclaimed. "You're not all boring too, are you, Jimmy?"

"I hope not."

The young man caught Jane's eye and she understood quickly. "Isn't it your bedtime, Freddie? Be a good boy tonight and go and get ready for bed."

Groaning, the youngster thankfully obeyed, and Jane was left alone with Jimmy, but for her second child Cathy, who was currently snoozing peacefully in a cot they had fashioned out of old barrels.

"How is he?" she asked. She did not need to say any name for Jimmy to know who she was referring to.

"Still up on the bridge. He hasn't called for anything since we left him."

Englehorn had been thrown into a state of disarray by the newspaper article. Jane had never seen him like this before, and was worried for him.

"I suppose he's best left to himself," she said.

"Yeah." Jimmy paused. "What's going to happen, Jane?"

"I don't know." Sighing deeply, she tried to change the subject. "Now, what about that letter of yours?"

This brought a small smile to his face. "You can read it if you like." Pulling it out of his pocket, ha handed her the crumpled sheets of paper, all three covered in tiny handwriting.

'_Dear Jimmy, I hope your Captain agrees to sail down here… I'm missing you too much for words…'_

Jane glanced up, grinning. "She certainly seems fond of you." He simply looked at the floor, blushing.

"Mum!"

Their smiles faded instantly; Freddie was back.

* * *

All was dark. Jane could hear gunfire all around her. She could not hear them, but somehow she knew that people were dying nearby. Crying a name, she reached out in terror. "Frederick!"

But he was not there. She was alone in bed as she woke up in a cold sweat. She had no idea of the time, but it must have been past midnight. Looking around her dimly lit cabin, Jane realised that she had been dreaming. Cathy slept on in the corner, but where was her husband? Climbing out of her bunk, she flung a shawl round her shoulders and set off up through the vessel.

Sure enough, a light still burned on the bridge. Jane climbed the steps slowly, and rounding the corner, laid eyes on her husband asleep at the table, his head leaning on the front page of the paper.

Smiling sadly, she bent over to lay a gentle kiss on his forehead, and took a seat beside him as he stirred slowly.

"Jane? Is that you?" Englehorn opened one eye to look at her.

"Yes, Frederick."

He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Nearly two," she answered, glancing at the clock.

He groaned. "I must've fallen asleep." He paused. "Too busy thinking about this." He nodded towards the newspaper. Jane noticed with vague amusement that some of the print had transferred on to his face.

"You worry too much," she told him. "We'll be safe here."

"Here?" He shook his head. "No, Jane. We have to get out of the way. America's such a big country they're sure to get involved at some point. They won't be able to resist."

She frowned; he was probably right. "So what do you suggest?"

Taking one of her hands in his own, he shuffled his chair closer to hers and she leant against him affectionately. "Australia, perhaps?"

She looked up quickly. "And New Zealand? For Jimmy?"

Frederick smiled. "Very well."

He looked so handsome as he smiled that Jane could not help but kiss his lips gently. Even as she pulled away he brought her closer, sliding his arm round her waist.

"What about Ann and Jack?" she asked.

"You can say your goodbyes tomorrow," her husband promised, "but make them quick. If we're going to escape we must leave soon."

Smiling sadly, Jane leant back against him with a sigh. "Yes, Captain."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope someone out there is reading and liked this. Please leave me a review! 


	2. Chapter 2: A Lost Child

**Chapter 2: A Lost Child**

Jimmy was happy – no, ecstatic. New Zealand, they were going to sail to New Zealand! All he had to do was persuade the Captain to dock in Wellington and he'd see _her_ again: Suki, the beautiful singer he'd met briefly in London.

Perched in the crow's nest, he reread her letter for the fiftieth time, still just as enthralled by it as he had been at first. The thought that she had held these by now grubby papers in her hands sent a thrill of excitement down his spine, but he couldn't explain why.

"Jimmy! What're you doing up there?"

A familiar voice suddenly brought his out of his daydreams. Sitting up, Jimmy saw Jack Driscoll waving to him down on deck. He held the hand of a small boy, whose blonde curls were clearly inherited from his mother. She was here too with a small girl in tow, and already chatting to her cousin. Grinning and waving back, Jimmy scampered nimbly down on to deck. First, he greeted his friend's young companion.

"Hi there, buddy. How are you today?"

The child simply looked at him shyly out of big dark eyes, so he turned his attention to the father.

"What about daddy, then?"

"Daddy's fine," Jack said with a smile, though it was a mere shadow of his usual grin and Jimmy recognised this instantly.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

The playwright lowered his voice. "It's my new play," he explained. "It ain't doing so well." Jimmy nodded in understanding. Jack's newest story was a humorous satire of Europe's last war, and was understandably considered in bad taste with current events.

Within seconds, however, Jack's smile reappeared as Jane greeted him, before leading them all below deck to meet her husband and children.

They found the Captain being a father to his daughter in the cabin he shared with his wife. He was feeding little Cathy warm milk out a bottle that looked tiny in his hands. In a way, it was almost surreal to see such a character as Captain Englehorn cradling a little girl in his arms who, with her blonde curls and peaceful features, resembled some sort of cherub. Freddie was looking at his little sister in interest, currently in the middle of one of his German lessons from his father, but glanced up in delight at the visitors from the bunk he was seated cross-legged on.

"Uncle Jack!"

He hugged Jack tightly, chattering excitedly, before his father even had chance to rise from his seat. The Captain's smile, like the playwright's, seemed thinner than usual as he greeted the Driscolls.

* * *

"So, Australia." Jack said. "Any particular reason?"

He and the captain exchanged dark looks over the table. "Jimmy has a friend somewhere in that area," Englehorn said, "but we'd also like to avoid… certain events that are unfolding. Until they spread south, anyway."

The playwright nodded. "I thought that might come into it. Do you know how long you're going to stay down there for?"

"As long as we have to."

Both men glanced across the galley at their wives. Jane was talking animatedly and cradling Cathy in her arms, while her cousin, William balanced on one hip, listened eagerly. Standing near a window in the last dying rays of sunlight, both looked particularly beautiful.

"Ann won't be pleased to hear it," Jack said quietly. "You know how she makes a point of seeing Jane at least once a week."

The Captain simply nodded, his eyes still on his wife. "Jane?" he called.

"Yes?" She looked back at him with an enquiring smile.

"Have you told Ann about our next voyage yet?"

Jane's smile faded. Her cousin watched her curiously.

"We're setting sail in the morning," the Englishwoman said glumly.

"Where to?"

"Australia. Or possibly New Zealand… we haven't decided yet."

Ann said nothing. Like her husband, she had suspected news like this for some time. With a sigh, she smiled down at the toddler in her arms. "We'll miss them, won't we, William?"

"We'll miss you too," Jane promised, "both you and your sister."

As soon as she said this, all four adults suddenly sensed that something was not right.

"Speaking of your sister…"

Jack and Frederick got hurriedly to their feet, chairs scraping noisily on the floor. Rebecca Driscoll was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sure she was here a minute ago," Ann said anxiously. "Where can she have gone?" Already, her voice was a tone higher than usual.

"She can't have gone far," her husband assured her, though he too sounded worried.

The Captain and his wife simply exchanged glances before hurrying out of the galley and up on to deck, Jane still clutching her own child.

Jimmy was sitting by the gangway, Freddie beside him and a book open in his lap. From the youngster's captivated expression, it was clear the young man was reading to him.

" '_To you', replied the Captain, 'I am just Captain Nemo. To me, you and your companions are just passengers on board the _Nautilus_.'"_

"Jimmy!" Jack called. "Have you seen any little girls toddle by?"

Hearing this, he took in Ann's clear distress and put two and two together. "Becky's lost?"

"Have you seen her?" the anxious father repeated.

"I haven't," Jimmy confirmed, "and you can be sure we'd know about it if she'd left the ship. I mean, a little blonde girl toddling around the dock is going to look pretty conspicuous."

A short silence followed, and Jane noticed her own copy of 'Twenty-thousand Leagues Under the Sea' lying open in Jimmy's lap. Despite his promising words, Ann began to sob.

"Jack, what if she's… what if she climbed the railing and…" The distraught actress couldn't finish, and buried her head in her husband's shoulder.

Englehorn now stepped in to reassure her. "My crew is accustomed to having children around by now," he told her, "and they always look out for Freddie and Cathy. There are lots of them on deck, so she can't possibly have fallen overboard."

"I'll help look for her," Jimmy said at once, jumping up and snapping his book shut, but the Captain shook his head.

"No, I need you to stay here and see that she doesn't wander away while we're looking."

"Aye, Captain."

Englehorn turned round to face the crewmembers on deck. "Your attention, please, gentlemen!" he called, and all eyes were immediately trained on him. "The young daughter of my guest has gone missing and we are certain she is still on board. I want a number of you to search the ship until she is found."

There was a chorus of "aye, Captain", and around a dozen crewmen instantly disbanded to carry out his orders, though one who stayed behind approached Englehorn. Jane was familiar with him as her husband's recently appointed first mate. Like the last one, whom she still missed dearly, Charlie King was a tall, broad African-American. Of course, her husband insisted that the appointment had been made entirely on the grounds of King's ability.

"Captain?"

"Yes?"

"With all due respect, how the hell are the men supposed to finish their jobs while looking for this lost kid?"

"She must be found."

"But we set sail in the morning, Captain, and there's still lots to be done. We can't delay."

"I am aware of that, but I won't have the Driscolls losing their daughter on my ship." The first mate's eyes drifted over the playwright and his anxious wife, but the Captain continued in a low tone. "Which position were you appointed to, Mr King?"

"First mate, sir."

"And what am I?"

"The captain, sir."

"Which means what?"

"That I follow your orders."

"Thank you. I am superior to you in both rank and experience and I know what I am doing. Do not question what I ask you to do. Is that clear?"

Despite the current situation, Jane could not help the small smile that slipped on to her face upon hearing her husband disciplining his new crewmember. She caught Jimmy's eye and saw that he too was smirking. They had both seen this happen with just about every new recruit to come on board in recent months. All crewmembers learnt soon enough that only Jane was able to win an argument with the Captain.

Mr King looked to be already nursing his wounded pride.

"Aye, Captain," he said sullenly.

"Good. Carry on."

Englehorn turned back to his guests now, his features stern and cold. "You will have your daughter back before long, Mrs Driscoll."

Ann simply nodded, unable to reply, but smiled gratefully through her tears.

* * *

A team of sailors swept the vessel, but no sign of the Driscolls' daughter was found. Ann was inconsolable upon being given this news, and was taken by her husband to lie down in an empty cabin. Jack returned to the bridge that evening. The Captain could be found there alone, having just finished seeing to the last preparations for the voyage. Jane was seeing to it that the remaining three children were settled down safely.

Englehorn lit up a cigarette, and the American watched him curiously.

"I thought you quit."

"Jane thinks I did." They exchanged glances and grinned. "Care to join me?" The Captain held out a packet of cigarettes, and Jack took one.

"Didn't you quit too?" Englehorn asked.

"You don't tell your wife, I don't tell mine. And hey, it's been a stressful day."

The Captain gave a murmur of assent before slowly blowing out a large cloud of blue-grey smoke. "We'll find your girl, don't worry."

"Oh, I know she'll turn up. It's exactly _when_ she will that's worrying me. I don't want to delay you."

"We have to leave by nine in the morning. There are other vessels that need to dock."

Their eyes met again, though the grins had disappeared.

"Why don't you come with us?" Englehorn asked suddenly. "You, Ann and the little ones. That way we don't have to worry about finding your daughter so quickly."

Jack thought to himself for a moment before coming to a swift decision. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"You've got no commitments here?"

"No, and we could do with a holiday." He got to his feet quickly, stubbing out his cigarette in an ashtray on the table. "I'll get a cab home and pack some things. I can leave a message at my parents' house to let them know where we are."

The German watched him suspiciously. "Really?"

"Sure. Why?"

"You said yes far too quickly."

"If you'd rather I said no..."

Englehorn smiled. "That's settled then."

* * *

Later that evening, the Captain eventually wandered down to the cabin he shared with his wife. Closing the door behind him as quietly as he could, he felt his way through the dark to their bunk, where she had already settled down for the night.

Jane rolled over to greet him.

"Jack and Ann are coming with us," he told her in a whisper.

"That's wonderful."

Even in the dark he could imagine the look of delight she would be wearing. He knelt down beside the bunk, and instantly felt her warm lips brush his affectionately, invitingly, before he was pushed roughly backwards and hit the wooden floor with a thump.

"Frederick Englehorn, you _stink_ of smoke."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Please review, even if you're not in the habit of doing so! One word will do, if that's all you can manage. Also, this chapter contained a short extract from 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' by Jules Verne, so I take no credit for it. Thanks again. 


	3. Chapter 3: The Storm

**Chapter 3: The Storm**

Jane opened the door of her cabin slowly with a drowsy yawn. Cradling her infant daughter in her arms, she set off towards the galley slowly, steadying herself with well-practised ease as the vessel rolled from side to side. The Captain had been active for hours already, along with all of his crew, but the habits of a privileged, luxurious upbringing are not easily forgotten, and his wife believed she deserved the extra few hours in her bunk.

She made her way steadily through the ship's narrow passages, which, to her surprise, she found empty but for the ship's Italian cook.

"Morning, Romeo," she called in greeting.

Carlo, as the others knew him, flashed her a grin from behind the counter, where he was busy preparing breakfast. "Good morning, Mrs Englehorn."

She had dubbed him Romeo after Shakespeare's romantic protagonist because of his perfect good looks: flawless olive skin, long dark hair and deep brown eyes. Jane was fond of him not only for his god-like features, but his irresistible accent and culinary expertise. Her husband, hardly surprisingly, showed clear signs of jealousy whenever he witnessed the playful flirting that they often exchanged.

"Where is everybody?" Jane asked, however, confused this morning to be a solitary diner.

"The Captain orders everybody working," the cook responded in his broken English. "Bad storm come soon. No time for meal." He sighed dramatically. "Not even Carlo's porridge."

Jane said nothing, concerned by news of the coming storm. She had sailed through them before, but they frightened her children and kept her husband too busy to help her comfort them.

"How is little beauty today?" Carlo enquired, smiling down at the child in Jane's arms.

"Sleepy, as always."

"Too sleepy to have breakfast?"

He placed a bowl of steaming porridge before her, sprinkling a generous amount of brown sugar over the top, just as she liked. "Romeo, you're wonderful. Thank you."

"Ah, anything for you, my darling, anything for you." Laughing, he passed back into the kitchen and resumed his stirring of the enormous vat of porridge on the stove. Jane could hear him humming quietly as she began to feed Cathy spoonfuls of breakfast. Her young daughter appeared content, with a joyful gleam in her large blue eyes that raised a smile to her mother's face.

Carlo let out a sudden yelp and dropped his ladle with a clatter.

"What is it?" Jane asked in concern, looking up instantly, a spoonful of porridge frozen in mid-air.

She received no answer but a soft chuckle, and could hear the cook murmuring in Italian as he knelt down out of sight below the counter.

"Carlo?" Balancing Cathy on one hip again, she rose and hurried towards the galley door. At first, she could see nothing but Carlo's back as he crouched down near an open cupboard, before he emerged with a child in his arms. A little girl, blonde-haired and giggling.

* * *

Jane had feared for Becky Driscoll upon first returning her to her parents. She'd instantly been smothered in their caresses, cradled against the body of her emotional mother, whose tears ran down white cheeks before dripping into the infant's curls.

Jack, like his wife, was paler than usual, with dishevelled hair and eyes that showed he hadn't slept at all on their first night at sea. He was perched on the edge of Ann's bunk, his hands shaking uncontrollably, and put out a hand to steady himself against the wall as the ship rolled horribly.

Jane caught his eye. Ann was oblivious, but a wave of apprehension passed over both of her companions' faces.

"I've sailed through storms before," Jack said, getting slowly to his feet. "I'll see if I can help the Captain."

His wife grasped his hand tightly before he could leave and pressed his fingers to her lips tenderly. "Be careful," she told him softly.

As the playwright passed out of the cabin, Freddie entered it hurriedly, his features betraying his fear.

"Mum…"

"I know, darling. Come here."

She settled down on the bunk opposite Ann with an arm around each of her children. She glanced across at her cousin, but the actress was still gazing after Jack.

The vessel rocked again, more violently this time. Jane pressed a reassuring kiss to her son's forehead as Cathy's tiny fingers tightened their grip on her shirt, and a horribly familiar fear began to darken her mind. She thought of Frederick up on the bridge, clinging to the wheel, desperately trying to bring his ship through the storm, and a terrifying wave of possibilities flowed through her head. What if the ship was swamped? What if he was washed overboard? What if he never emerged from the water?

Every storm they sailed through was like this, and every time she was forced to remind herself that her husband had experienced hundreds of storms at sea before even meeting her, and that, even in an emergency, he was a strong swimmer.

_But_, said a little voice at the back of her mind, _there's always a first time_.

"Jane," Ann said quietly, "are you all right?"

Jane smiled wearily. "Are you?"

Wordlessly, the cousins reached out around their children and clasped hands tightly.

"They'll come through it," the Captain's wife said, squeezing Ann's fingers reassuringly.

She received a warm, grateful smile in reply. "I know."

Neither mother could keep track of how long they sat like that, comforting their children and each other, endeavouring to ignore the frantic shouts from all around the ship. Jane suffered, as did Ann, no doubt, every sob from her daughter, every whimper from her son and every thought of her husband serving as a fresh blow to her. They said little, until the strange quiet of their cabin was broken by a cry that cut her just as deeply.

"Jane!" It was a familiar voice thick with grief and pain as it uttered her name.

"Jimmy," she breathed, recognising it instantly. She didn't dare imagine why he sounded as he did. "Freddie, take your sister."

Wrenching the door open, she tumbled out into the passage, the ship fiercely rocking. Jimmy was staggering towards her, barely keeping his balance and soaked to the skin.

"Jane," he moaned as she put an arm round his shoulders and led him into the cabin. Seeing him like this was horrible for her. He was one of her dearest friends; more like a younger brother, in fact, than a friend.

"Jimmy, what happened? Tell me quickly! You're freezing!" Tugging woollen blankets out of the cupboard, she wrapped them round him anxiously and he collapsed in a heap on the end of Jack's bunk.

"I fell overboard," he said simply.

There was a moment of relative silence during which Jane, Ann and Freddie stared at the young man in horror, before Jane threw herself down on the bunk and hugged him tightly.

"How? What happened?"

"A big wave. I couldn't hold on." Jimmy's voice was muffled by Jane's hair, yet still sounded hollow. "I was so scared, Jane, so scared. I thought… I…"

"Shh," she said softly, stroking his wet hair gently, as she always did with Freddie when he was upset. "You're safe now."

"No, no – there's something else," he began, but she shushed him again, murmuring soothing words into his ear.

He said no more, though Jane could feel his warm tears against her cheek. She tried not to dwell on how close she had come to losing him; the very thought brought tears to her own eyes.

The storm seemed to have blown itself out, and with each minute that passed the boat rocked less and less violently. In the growing quiet, Jane could feel Jimmy shivering.

"Come on," she said, drawing back from the embrace, "we need to find you some dry clothes."

He nodded, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Freddie, leaning against Jack's pillow with both arms tightly around his sister.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a warm smile.

Her son nodded slowly, transfixed on the quivering form of his favourite playmate. "Is Jimmy?"

"He will be." Jane glanced at her cousin, who was watching the crewman in concern. "Would you mind?" she asked, motioning towards Freddie and Cathy. Ann shook her head with a small smile, and Jane led Jimmy away.

He had moved out of his favoured enclosure in the hold only recently, and now occupied a small cabin of his own. The walls were strangely bare, Jane observed as she entered it behind him. The walls of her own displayed Freddie's original artwork, and she knew most of the crew cherished photos of their homes and families, or at least of scantily-clad models from magazines, but the only evidence of habitation here was a grubby envelope lying on the table. A number of tattered volumes were scattered on the floor following the storm, and she stooped to pick these up, smiling as she looked over the bizarre assortment of titles.

Jimmy was looking around absent-mindedly, as though this setting was foreign to him, so she pulled open a drawer to search for anything dry he could wear. He didn't seem to mind as she rifled unceremoniously through his clothes; their friendship had long since passed the point of shyness. She laid the fresh garments on his bunk in a motherly sort of way, giving him a reassuring smile as she did so.

"I'll leave you to change," she told him. "Give me your wet things once you're done and try to dry you hair."

He nodded. "Thanks, Jane." He didn't return her smile, but gladly accepted the warm embrace she now offered, and the affectionate kiss she placed on his icy-cold cheek.

"You'll be all right, Jimmy," she told him, before leaving his cabin and closing the door gently behind her.

As soon as she glanced up, a welcome figure met her gaze. Her husband's features appeared weary and troubled. He gave her a small smile, but it did not rise as far as his eyes.

"How is he?" he asked quietly.

"Shaken."

Frederick too was sodden, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead and the droplets on his thick raincoat glistening. He beckoned to her, and she followed him into an unoccupied cabin.

Instantly, his lips found hers in a loving, passionate kiss.

"Seeing you safe is wonderful," she whispered in his ear as he held her tightly. "I hate sitting below deck during these storms with no idea what's happening above."

"I would not have it any other way."

He drew back, and as she looked into his eyes Jane could instantly see that something was not right.

"What is it, Frederick?"

He paused, averting his gaze, before answering hesitantly. "Jimmy didn't tell you everything, did he?"

"He was washed overboard. What more is there to tell?" The dark look that appeared on her husband's face as she spoke filled Jane with a horrible sense of unease and trepidation.

"Do you know of a sailor named Mr Howard? He's been part of this crew since before even I met you." She nodded, dreading to think where this could lead. "He dived in after Jimmy to save him. As we were hauling them both back on board another huge wave came over. Howard's lifeline came loose, and he was washed back into the water."

Jane's eyes widened in horror. "You mean…"

"He was carried away too quickly. We couldn't save him."

She said nothing for a moment or two, simply staring at the Captain in shock. Pity was the first emotion she experienced. The loss of Howard was tragic, but she had never really known him. Her thoughts went straight to Jimmy. What gave her the greatest pain was to imagine everything going through her friend's mind now. She had held him in her arms, told him that everything was all right, without having the remotest idea that another sailor had just died to save his life.

She attempted to put together a response.

"That's terrible," was all she could come up with.

"It is. Mr Howard was a good man and a trusted member of my crew.

"And Jimmy—"

A hint of her true feelings slipped out before she could stop herself. Catching Frederick's eye, she saw that he understood exactly how she felt.

"This is horrible," she said quietly, looking at the floor. "I should be mourning the loss of Howard, but all I can think of is Jimmy. I feel like I'm insulting Howard's memory."

Englehorn thought to himself for a moment. "You know, Jane, you may believe you're not doing justice to his memory, but if you see your feelings as insufficient you must have thought very highly of him indeed." He tipped up her chin to look her in the eye. "Forget your guilt; I know you've too much compassion to dishonour anyone's memory." He paused. "But now I think there is a young man who needs your comforting more than you need mine."

Jane nodded. She passed out of the cabin, her fingers affectionately brushing her husband's, and immediately felt a light tap on the shoulder. She turned round to see Carlo, smiling apologetically and holding up a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

"For Jimmy," he said simply, motioning for her to take it.

She returned his smile. "Thank you."

Pausing outside Jimmy's cabin, Jane knocked lightly, and, hearing a murmured answer from within, opened the door cautiously. Jimmy was curled up on his bunk, slightly dryer than before but still wrapped in his thick woollen blanket.

"Have you spoken to the skipper?" he asked quickly, glancing up at her.

She gave him no answer, but took a seat beside him and offered the drink she held. "From Carlo."

The very aroma of the intense chocolate cheered her a little, but nothing could warm her heart more than the sight of a small smile rising to her friend's lips as he took his first sip of hot chocolate.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading, and for reviewing if you already have. Please leave me some feedback for this, and the action begins fairly soon, I promise! 


	4. Chapter 4: Aftermath

**Chapter 4: Aftermath**

Understandably, it was weeks before Jimmy displayed any hint of his usual self. He rarely smiled, and laughed even less. Indeed, the loss of Mr Howard threw everyone aboard the Venture into a dark state of depression, so much so that Jane was put in mind of the days following the ship's departure from Skull Island.

Ann and Jack rarely saw Jane, who spent most of her time tending to her children and Jimmy, who remained somewhat traumatised. For hours on end, they would simply sit in the galley together. William and Becky played contentedly with anything they could find, from Carlo's pans to old barrels, seemingly unaffected by what was taking place around them.

Ann let out a long sigh, lowering her head to rest it on the table wearily. It was three days since the storm, but it seemed like years. Instantly, she felt her husband's comforting hand stroking her blonde curls gently, and glanced up at him with a thin, forced smile.

"I know," he said before she could voice her thoughts. Jack looked tired, Ann thought, and for once it was not down to sleepless infants requiring sustenance during the early hours. There were dark lines under his eyes, his hair was lank and dishevelled and his cheeks were pale, but his soft blue eyes were as warm as ever, looking into her own with such love as she now took for granted. She had known he would understand; he always seemed to understand.

She decided to open her heart to him regardless. "I wish we had stayed at home," she began quietly. "Since… you know… it's been horrid. Even Jane is miserable. And to think we could be cosy and happy at home in New York…"

"Ann," Jack said gently, beseechingly, "you know that there is no place in the world better for us now. Hard times pass, you know that, and before long we'll be having a wonderful time with Jane and Jimmy and Englehorn…" She raised a slender brow. "Well, from time to time, anyway." The actress had never fully taken to the Captain as Jane and Jack had. Her husband continued. "You just wait. You'll see I'm right. And until then, we've always got each other. With these angels around the place, it's hard to be sad for long."

They both turned to their children. William was absent-mindedly chewing on his mother's cardigan, while Becky watched him curiously, already reaching for her father's shirt to try the taste for herself. Ann laughed despite herself, feeling a sudden surge of love towards her husband. Simultaneously, they leaned forwards over the table and met in the middle with a tender kiss, but Jack soon pulled away with an exclamation of surprise as Becky began to munch the cuff of his shirt. He and Ann watched, smiles wider than they had been in days, as the small girl sucked innocently on his expensive cufflink.

"Lunch, anyone?"

They looked up, startled, as Carlo entered the galley. Even his handsome grin was rather stretched today.

"That would be wonderful," Ann said gratefully, but Jack got to his feet, seeming suddenly purposeful.

"No thanks, Carlo," he answered. "I want to see if I can be of any help on deck." Noticing his wife's inquisitive, concerned countenance, he added, "I can't sit around here like a spare part all day, after all," and headed out of the door.

On deck, he was met by a cruel wind that cut sharply through his shirt, and shivered instantaneously. Industrious activity surrounded him, as it always did, though the sailors' faces were darker than usual. Out here, on the grey, bleak sea under a grey, bleak sky, the playwright clung to his damp shirt cuff to convince himself that he had not imagined the peaceful scenes with his family below deck.

He made his way along the side of the vessel, passing the spot that he had considered jumping from years ago in New York, and climbed the steps to the bridge. The first figure to meet his eyes was Mr King, the first mate, who stood at the helm and gave him a respectful nod. The Captain stood in the doorway of the cabin behind him, and Jane soon emerged from this. Both she and her husband looked exhausted, as if neither had slept properly for days. Jack imagined he looked much the same.

"What can I do for you, Driscoll?" Englehorn asked.

"I was just wondering if there was anything I could do… you know, to help out? Maybe an extra pair of hands would be helpful."

The sailor smiled wearily. "Thank you for offering, but Ann needs you more than we do."

"Oh." Jack said no more. He felt foolish, as it seemed obvious to him now that an artistic, intellectual character like himself would do more harm than good in any field other than his own. Manual labour was far from a preferred occupation of his.

"Captain," King said suddenly, his tone sharp and alert. "On deck, look."

Englehorn went to the window quickly, followed by both Jack and Jane, to see one of the crewmen lying in a crumpled heap on the deck, sobbing helplessly, surrounded by his colleagues.

"Frederick…" Jane began, but he was already out of the door.

They followed as he went to the side of his stricken crewmember. Jack half expected the German to comfort the man, but instead he hauled him to his feet, supporting him with a steady hand on each shoulder. The assembled crewmen instinctively dispersed.

"What is it, Mr Tyler?" Englehorn asked in a low, unsympathetic voice. "You're usually a level-headed man."

The distraught figure before him looked anything but level-headed, though he tried to stifle each sob and collect himself to address his superior. "Sorry, Captain. I'll get on with my work." He tried to do so, but Frederick's grip was tight.

"I said, what is it, Mr Tyler?" he repeated.

"Mr Howard, sir," Tyler revealed hesitantly. "He was a good man, sir, and an old friend of mine. We'd worked together for fifteen years. I know I shouldn't of, sir, but I let my emotions get the better of me."

Jack marvelled at the strength this crewman showed to restrain himself in such a manner. Instantly, his mind began to work, forming this man into a stage character he could portray in writing.

"Get on with your work," Englehorn said. "Concentrate. We can't have the men becoming distracted."

"No, sir," Tyler said, his tone utterly despondent, but he moved away to continue with his work.

Englehorn climbed the steps to the bridge and Jack followed Jane, who seemed to pursue her husband with a new-found urgency. "Leave us please, Mr King," she said, and Englehorn watched her curiously. Jack followed King outside, but lingered just beyond the door to hear every word.

"What sort of a Captain are you?" she exploded. "Your complete lack of sympathy when you spoke to that poor man—"

"I know what I'm doing. Don't interfere."

"I'll interfere if I bloody well like. He's lost a friend, and all you can say is that he should concentrate on his work!"

"Do not presume to know my crew better than I do. You know nothing of running a ship like this."

"That may be so, but I clearly know more about human feelings. Do you even know what it's like to lose someone dear to you?"

"Of course, but—"

"Then show some understanding! Think how much some of your crew are suffering! Give them a break! If you were in their position—"

"I know damn well what it's like to be in their position, and when I was I got on with what I had to do. Perhaps you should stop thinking you know everything and try to understand—"

"I'm not claiming to know everything!"

"Then stand back and let me do my job! I don't need the advice of some arrogant rich girl to deal with my crew!"

"How _dare _you call me arrogant? And I'm not a rich girl; I'm your _wife_."

"Wife – not first mate. Get out of my way while I'm working from now on. I don't need you here."

"Who says I _want_ to be here? You disgust me, you stuck-up, hard-hearted, ignorant little man!"

"Let me do my job! Get _out_!"

"Gladly!"

With that, Jane stormed past Jack, hurrying down the stairs and below deck. He didn't move for a moment, stunned by what he, and probably the rest of the ship, had just overheard. He could practically feel Englehorn's anger radiating through the walls.

He heard the Captain muttering furiously to himself and what sounded like a compass being hurled across the floor, followed by the scrape of a match to light a cigarette.

* * *

Frederick didn't come to bed that night. Jane allowed herself a smug smile into the dark as she realised that he was staying up on the bridge, too proud to admit defeat. A small voice at the back of her mind told her that she had too much space, that she needed the warmth of another body beside her, but she stifled it stubbornly. After all, she was cosy and warm in her cabin with her two darlings sleeping nearby, while he was perched on a hard wooden chair on the draughty bridge, with only the electric light for comfort.

If he wanted his pillow, he could come crawling back down to get it. Jane was thoroughly convinced that she had come out with the better side of the deal by far.

Above deck, Englehorn was standing at the doorway of the steering cabin, smoking a cigarette in a silent act of rebellion. He didn't need Jane, he told himself, his proud, arrogant wife. His mind wandering, he pictured their cabin: the sleeping children, the patchwork blanket, the slender body of a beautiful young woman, one hand resting on the pillow, her hair loose and tickling his face as she lay in his arms.

The Captain shook his head to get rid of the image, and looked around with the air of a powerful ruler surveying his kingdom. _This_ was his kingdom, he thought, not the stuffy cabin below deck. Here, he could feel the sweet, salty sea air on his face; smell the old wood and iron of his ship. The smoke calmed him, and the bottle of strong scotch whiskey on the table behind him was an attractive prospect. Stubbing out one cigarette as it burned down in his fingers, he plunged a hand into the pocket of his overcoat for another with a satisfied smile, and made to settle down for the evening.

* * *

When Jane first woke in the early hours of the morning, she could not think what had roused her from such a deep sleep. Then she heard it: a soft, pathetic coughing.

She sat up in bed at once. "_Cathy._"

Her daughter was awake, and as soon as she saw she mother began to cry. Picking up the little girl, Jane found that her skin was burning.

"Ann!" she cried instinctively, not knowing what else to do. She knocked on the wall of the cabin, knowing that her cousin occupied the one next door. "Ann, Jack! Please, anyone!"

She opened the door, clutching Cathy tightly to her chest. A sleepy Ann emerged from her own cabin, followed by Jack, her face the image of concern. "What is it, Jane?"

"Cathy…" Jane gasped, finding herself short of breath and her eyes wet with tears, "…temperature…"

Ann took the child in her own arms and instantly understood. "A fever. Jack, fetch the ship doctor at once. What's his name – Fitz-something."

Jack did so at once. The doctor, a well-spoken Englishman named Fitzpiers, left his bunk immediately as he heard of Cathy's high temperature. Jack began to follow his back to Jane's cabin, but was struck with a sudden idea, and changed direction.

A light still burned on the bridge, though the sky was beginning to lighten far on the horizon. He took the steps two at a time and burst through the door to see Englehorn asleep at the table, a nearly empty bottle of whiskey and an ashtray full of cigarettes beside him.

"Englehorn," he said loudly, shaking the Captain's shoulder, and he woke at once, blinking sleepily.

"Too early, Driscoll," he moaned.

"Captain, it's your daughter—"

At those four words, he jumped up immediately and left Jack behind, rushing down the steps and banging the door noisily behind him.

* * *

Ann would remember the next few hours for the rest of her life, but which part of it stuck most firmly in her memory, she could not say. Perhaps it was the purposeful air of the English doctor; perhaps it was the sight of little Cathy's tiny face contorted as she cried; perhaps it was the passionate embrace with which the Captain greeted his wife.

Mr King had soon been woken to take the wheel of the ship. Fitzpiers, who, Ann discovered, had once worked with such children frequently in a small parish in the South of England, gradually nursed the infant into a peaceful sleep from which she would wake happily but hungrily hours later.

The Captain and his wife remained in their cabin to watch over their child, or so they claimed. Cathy slept soundly, safely in the corner, Freddie was breakfasting with the Driscolls, and within a minute of the door closing behind Fitzpiers, Frederick and Jane were fervently forgiving each other in their bunk.

Jane's cheeks were still wet with the tears of relief she had cried as her husband left her in bed. She stayed in the warmth, nestled under the blankets, and watched him pull on his trousers and stand over Cathy's cot. The mingled expression of pride and love he wore whenever he did so always warmed Jane's heart and she watched now for the familiar curl of his lips, the soft creases at the corner of his eyes, but they did not come. Instead, he appeared only concerned.

"I'm frightened, Jane," he said softly.

At these words, she sat up abruptly, and, wrapping the blankets around her, rose and went to his side. "Why?"

His right arm slid around her waist. "Don't you know?"

She did know; she had seen the answer in his face every time she looked at him.

"I'm worried that we may not be able to get away quickly enough. What if the navies have already mobilised? We can't be sure that the South Atlantic will be safe, and I know nothing of the situation in Africa."

"The same may be said of Australia; we don't know if that too will become caught up in the war. Stop worrying."

"How can I?" Frederick looked into her eyes, taking her hand tightly in his own. "Jane, all I ever think about are you and the little ones, and whether I am keeping you safe."

They said no more, each simply comforted by the other's presence, but Jane was secretly concerned by her husband's words. He had always seemed to her almost invincible, as if nothing could frighten him or overcome his strong and mysterious mind. She leaned on him through everything, but could she support him if he proved to be just as easily unnerved as she was?

"I have work to do," he said quietly at last, and moved away from her to dress.

"Frederick," she said simply, and he caught her eye for a moment in fear, half expecting a continuation of yesterday's row, but she smiled, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Don't worry – I wouldn't."

Then, with a quick kiss and the words, "I love you," he left their cabin, straightening his off-white cap as he closed the door behind him.

Below them, the engine of the Venture worked away noisily, driving the vessel across the globe, bringing her closer to Australia with each day that passed.

* * *

**A/N: **I apologise, as usual, for the delay in writing and uploading this, but life's busy sometimes. If you liked this, leave me a review please! If you didn't, leave me one anyway. Thanks for reading! 


	5. Chapter 5: Harbouring a Fugitive

**Chapter 5: Harbouring a Fugitive**

It was a matter of weeks before the Venture reached its destination. They docked briefly on the western coast of Australia, gladly taking the opportunity to purchase supplies, before the Captain decided to move on to New Zealand.

Jane could see that her husband's decision was largely for the sake of Jimmy, who was becoming increasingly restless, eager to see the Suki that they had heard so much about, after meeting only briefly in London. He never mentioned the events during the storm, and seemed to have adopted Englehorn's philosophy of carrying on with his work no matter what happened. Up in the crow's nest, he was the first to identify the dark mass on the horizon that they knew was New Zealand, and even from her spot on the bridge with her husband, Jane could see the gleam of relief and happiness in the young man's eyes.

The very moment they docked, he ran to lean over the railing, gazing eagerly around at the bustling docks.

"Are you going to meet her?" Jane asked, approaching him from behind quietly.

"Yes," he answered, "she gave me directions in her letter. I memorised them before we left New York."

Jane cast him a sideways glance, unable to conceal her smile. "Tell me again, Jimmy, how long you spent with her?"

"Three weeks. We were in dock in London for three weeks, and I met her on the first night."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but was distracted as the gangway was put out to meet the dock and her companion instantly headed towards it. "I'll see you later, Jane!"

Within seconds, she had lost sight of him in the crowded port, and headed below deck to find her children. Freddie she met as he was on his way up, his father calling instructions to him from above, but Cathy could be found, as usual, snoozing happily in her cot. She began to cry as her mother lifted her, so Jane rocked her gently back and forth in her arms, humming a soothing melody to calm her.

"Are you staying here?" asked a quiet voice behind her, and she greeted her husband with a smile and a brief kiss.

"I suppose so. Why, are you going somewhere?"

"I want to buy a newspaper and find out what's been happening in the world. I shouldn't be too long."

Then, with another kiss to her cheek, he disappeared, and Jane looked back to her daughter with a sigh. "Your father never stops worrying," she told her, stroking the little girl's adorable golden curls with one finger. Cathy looked back at her blankly, yawned, and nestled into her mother's breast with what seemed like a firm intention of dozing off again.

"Oh, no, you don't," Jane said lightly, and carried her child up through the vessel and out on to deck, singing quietly as she went. She found Ann and Jack out there, and noted briefly that the playwright's shirt cuff, as it so often was now, was damp and misshapen, though the cufflink had long since been abandoned.

"What do you make of Wellington, then?" she asked, looking out over the harbour with a smile of contentment.

She received no answer, as Jack was busy prying his tie away from his daughter's mouth with his wife looking on in mirth.

"You think he would have learned his lesson by now," Ann said to her cousin, balancing William on one hip. "I stopped wearing necklaces almost as soon as these two were born."

Jane smiled, but her attention was drawn back to the city they had just arrived in for the first time. At first glance, it did not appear very different from other cities she had seen. The climate, from what she could tell, was hardly extreme, and the colourful oil on the surface of the water below her was not dissimilar to that elsewhere in the world.

In the crowd, she picked out her husband's cap as he returned already with a rolled-up newspaper under one arm. He glanced up and met her eyes with a small smile, so she could not help but smile in return. He was exceedingly handsome, she told herself, as she did almost every day, and she was incredibly lucky to be married to him. Her mind wandered, and she wondered for a moment how her life would have played out, had she never been introduced to Carl Denham all those years ago, if Ann had never paused in desperation at a fruit vendor on a cold New York street. Would they have been able to scrape a living through such times? Would they have even been alive today? Freddie and Cathy certainly wouldn't have existed, Jane decided, smiling down at the slumbering infant in her arms, and that would have been a great loss to the world indeed.

Frederick made his way up the gangway, and the bland expression he wore told her exactly what the contents of the newspaper were.

"Anything?" she enquired.

He shook his head. "Nothing that I hadn't expected." He stooped to place an affectionate kiss on Cathy's forehead, and she stirred for a moment before nestling further into her mother's arms. "I'll show you later," he said to Jane, "I've work to do now." She simply nodded; Frederick rarely had any time to give her or the children after arriving at a new port.

As she glanced up however, she picked out a face in the crowd that she had not expected to return so soon. Jimmy was weaving through it, leading a slender figure by the hand towards the Venture. Her face, for Jane assumed it was Suki, was hidden by a headscarf, and she was hurrying as if frightened.

"Frederick," she said quietly, and he followed her gaze to see what was troubling her. "Why are they back so quickly?" she wondered aloud.

Her husband simply shook his head, but watched as Jimmy led his anxious charge on board and approached them instantly.

"Skipper," he began, his voice low, "I'd like to ask a favour." The Captain nodded, looking curiously at the young woman behind his crewman. She was small and slender in build, and they recognised the large black eyes that shone under the headscarf from making her acquaintance in London briefly. "May Suki stay on board for a while?" Jimmy asked. "She needs to get out of view."

"Jane," Englehorn said, "take her down to one of the cabins without a window." Addressing the girl, he said, "You can stay in there for now."

"Thanks," Jimmy said briefly, and Jane stepped forward.

"Follow me," she instructed, trying to smile encouragingly but unaware exactly whom she was helping to hide, or why she was doing so.

Suki walked behind her, and once below deck, pulled back the headscarf to reveal a head of gleaming black tresses. Her hair had been cropped short into a bob since last Jane had seen her and her cheeks had lost their colour. She was clothed in a pair of men's trousers too old to be of any distinguishable colour and a black overcoat that belonged to Jimmy.

"Thank you for helping me," she said, and Jane could not help but smile. She remembered Suki's distinctive accent well, as it was a bizarre combination of her Wellington upbringing and a great deal of time spent in London, from which she had picked up a cockney twang.

"You're most welcome," the Englishwoman answered, "though I'm not sure exactly how much help we can be to you." She opened the door of a cabin opposite their own and motioned for Suki to enter. "Stay in here; you shouldn't be disturbed." She paused, greatly tempted to probe for information, but the New Zealander appeared to read her mind.

"There are two men following me," she explained hurriedly, her tone quivering. "If Jimmy hadn't found me…" Her voice trailed away, and Jane was rather glad for now not to hear the end.

Cathy was heavy in her arms and she hitched her up wearily before putting on her most soothing tone. "You'll be safe here, don't worry. Are you hungry or thirsty?"

No answer came, for at that moment Jimmy burst through the door. Suki, who had just settled down on the edge of the bunk, leapt to her feet again and met his eyes with a startling intensity. Jane watched them for a moment in astonishment: she had never seen a young couple so obviously perfect for one another before. She began to feel like an unwanted intruder and left the cabin as quickly as she could, wondering vaguely how long it would be before they announced the engagement.

On deck she met Frederick, who was directing the unloading of various loads of cargo with a clipboard in his hands, just as he had been the night that they had first met. She opened her mouth to greet him, but again her attention was commanded suddenly by faces in the crowd. Two men, brutish-looking, thick-set thugs, were conspicuously making their way towards the Venture. Englehorn went to meet them as they boarded the vessel.

"Good morning, my friend," one began in a tone that clearly said the morning was anything but good, and he anything but friendly. He held out a fat hand to the Captain, who eyed it with the stern yet nonchalant air that he commanded so effortlessly.

"Can I help you?" Frederick asked. There was a cold, harsh edge to his voice that the thugs noticed, and they immediately dropped any pretences of cordiality.

"You've got something of ours," one said with a sickeningly cruel grin on his unshaven, grubby features.

"Is that so? What would that be?" Now, Englehorn's countenance displayed the cynical humour that Jane was more than familiar with.

"A girl: small with black hair. She's on board this vessel."

"That's news to me."

"Now that's the thing, mister. We know for a fact that this girl is on your ship."

"But that would make me a liar, wouldn't it now?"

A pregnant pause hung in the air, accentuated by the silence that had fallen among the assembled crewmen.

The thug's face was dark. "Yes, it would."

The Captain put down his clipboard and folded his arms casually, and now the second intruder spoke. "If you hand this girlie of ours over, we'll leave now, no bother at all, but if you don't…" He cracked his knuckles menacingly, showing them a grin from which most of his teeth were missing. Behind Englehorn, Mr King took a step forward, every inch of his muscled, six foot five frame threatening.

Jane felt a sudden exhilarated thrill run down her spine, but clutched Cathy all the more tightly.

"Well if that's how you want to do this…" The first thug raised a fist to strike the Captain, but King, whose strength was far greater, quickly grabbed his arm. Jane could have sworn she heard bones crack, and the ugly, contorted grimace on the man's face showed that she had heard correctly.

Frederick had not moved an inch, and, looking the thug square in the eye, spoke in a low, controlled, dangerous tone. "I ask, gentlemen, that in future you refrain from boarding my ship without previously having received permission from me personally. If you should attempt to do so you will be forcefully removed by my crew, and I cannot vouch for your wellbeing in such circumstances."

King was smirking, but Jane felt a sudden rush of love and pride towards Frederick_. "That's my husband!" _she wanted to shout. _"That one there: brave, handsome, invincible – that's my husband!"_

But she simply smiled smugly as the thugs retreated. One of them turned at the bottom of the gangway. "She's a thief!" he yelled. "The thieving bitch'll have everything that's not nailed down!"

Englehorn ignored them. "Thank you, Mr King," he said quietly.

"My pleasure, Captain."

Then Frederick spoke under his breath, so that only his wife and his first mate could hear. "We'll anchor offshore tonight," he said. "They'll be back."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading. Please review! 


	6. Chapter 6: Miss Jackson

**Chapter 6: Miss Jackson**

As the Captain had ordered, the Venture left the dock in Wellington within hours of reaching it, sailing straight out to sea. Before long, Englehorn left his first mate at the wheel and went below deck with his wife to meet the new passenger, finding her in the galley talking quietly to Jimmy.

"Afternoon, Captain," called Carlo, and the sweet, almost overpowering aroma of chocolate drifting from the stove gave away exactly what he was making.

After answering, both Frederick and Jane took seats opposite the young couple; the Driscolls, having followed them out of interest, occupied the next table.

"Thank you, sir," Suki said at once, her large eyes wide and alert. "I've heard about the men that boarded, and I'm very sorry to have led them here."

"That's quite alright, Miss Jackson," Englehorn answered, "but know I'd like to know why I just lied for you, and who exactly those men were?"

At first, Suki said nothing. Jane watched her, amazed by the change that had come over the girl since their time in London. She was a mere shell of her former self: her once bright features pale and frightened, her playful, talkative demeanour reduced to anxiety, and her previously bold and beautiful voice now a quiet, quivering tone.

"One of those men was my brother," she began, speaking uncertainly and casting her gaze down shyly. "The other was a horrible friend of his. I'd been living with them for some months, and with every second I passed in their presence their vile habits disgusted me more and more. They were rarely sober and squandered most of the money I earned in gambling.

"My mother lived with us, but I lost her only a month ago. Bill, my brother, said that it was a fatal illness, but there was a look in his eyes as he told me that I recognised all too well, and his inheritance was very welcome when it came to paying his gambling debts. He would threaten me, promising that if I didn't keep my mouth shut he'd hurt me, and that if I tried to run away he'd find me. I didn't doubt him for a second. Last night, he revealed that he intended to sell a brooch that had belonged to my mother. It had been left to me, and is worth a great deal, but to me its true value is not in precious stones but in memories. 

"I stole it this morning. I ran away before Bill could find out. I can't tell you how deeply relieved I was to run into Jimmy near the harbour."

Here her tale ended, and she looked to Jimmy with wide, loving eyes. Jane was clutching Cathy tightly, shocked by the tragic events Suki had related, but her husband had not moved an inch.

"I think," he began after a lengthy pause, "that we have room for you on board, if you should wish to stay with us."

Her dark eyes lit up. "Really, sir? It could be risky – what if my brother comes back?"

"He won't find you at sea." Englehorn glanced at Jane. "My wife will give you a cabin," he said, and without any further words left the galley. In the doorway he passed Freddie, whose eyes immediately went to the new passenger.

"Suki!" he exclaimed. "It really is you!" Being close to Jimmy, the youngster had been familiar with her during their time in London.

"Freddie?" A genuine smile lit up her features, and Jane watched her son's animated greeting of the new passenger with relief, for his eager chatter instantly brought a lively sparkle to her eyes. But the thing that touched her heart most of all was Jimmy's shy smile, and the warm affection with which he closely regarded the young lady beside him.

* * *

A calm evening followed at sea. A large proportion of it found the Englehorns – all four of them – on the bridge, playing the perfect happy family. Freddie was at the helm, his father's guiding hands tightly over his own and his mother singing softly to his young sister at the table.

"Keep it steady," the Captain was saying quietly. "It wants to spin, but you mustn't let it."

His son nodded wordlessly, his brow furrowed in concentration. A gentle sea breeze ruffled his hair, blowing in over the moonlit waters that melted smoothly into the velvety night sky.

"Hold tight," Englehorn warned, before slowly taking his hands off the wheel, watching Freddie carefully. "Have you got it?"

"I think so." The youngster stood perfectly still for a moment, before letting out a peal of laughter. "I'm doing it, dad! Look!"

"Well done, son." The Captain's tone was soft but quietly encouraging.

Jane glanced up and caught the subdued pride and love as it settled upon her husband's countenance, brought on by the giggling little boy at the wheel. As if he could sense her gaze, Frederick caught her eye, throwing her such a bright smile as she rarely received. Her throat felt suddenly thick; she took deep breaths, almost feeling the tears of gladness rise to her eyes. She was never happier than in these rare moments spent with those she cherished most, watching her son and husband love each other more with each second that passed, with every flake of rust on the hull appearing lovely, every grain of dirt on the deck divine.

"Is he doing well?" she asked.

"Very well."

Rising to her feet, still cradling Cathy in the arms, Jane moved to her husband's side and he slid an arm around her shoulders, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, dad," Freddie said quietly, gazing adoringly up into his father's face.

Jane gasped: that had been the final blow, the tears followed swiftly from her already gleaming eyes.

"Keep your mind on the job," his father instructed. "You can't let yourthoughts wander too freely while you're at the helm."

"Sorry," Freddie apologised hastily, but Jane laughed, wiping away the first tear to roll down her cheek.

"Frederick," she said, her voice lovingly reproving, "must you always spoil the moment?"

He grinned sheepishly. "You know me – I can't have you all getting too sentimental."

* * *

"Lovely, aren't they?" Suki sighed wistfully, gazing down with longing at the idyllic domestic scene unfolding on the bridge.

Jimmy gave a murmur of assent, though his attention had been focussed elsewhere. He and Suki were perched in the crow's nest, she sitting opposite him, curled up with cat-like comfort and elegance, her knees tucked up under her chin. He could make out little of her face in the dark, but would occasionally catch a glimpse of the moon reflected in her eyes, or a silver shimmer in her hair.

"Sometimes," she continued, "I wonder what it would have been like to be so happy." Jimmy said nothing; he did not know how to respond. "Take Jane, for example," Suki said. "She's married to a man she clearly loves very much, mother to two darling children, mistress of a home with no boundaries… free as a bird. I envy her happiness."

"Her life hasn't all been happiness," Jimmy said quickly, knowing how Jane despised the image of herself that Suki clearly believed to be real.

"I thought she was a rich girl from London."

"She was, until her father died. Her left her and her mother with debts to pay, suddenly robbed of their wealth."

"Oh, how tragic." 

He instantly detected her sarcasm. "Don't be like that. Poverty's harder to face when you know what you're missing. Jane lived with Ann in New York after leaving London, and the two of them were practically destitute when our paths finally crossed." Jimmy then told of Jane's time as a solitary parent, bereft of her lover for a torturous five years. "I'm not saying she's had it as bad as some," he admitted, "but it's not all been plain sailing."

Suki was silent for a moment. "You really like her, don't you, Jimmy?"

"Of course I do."

"Even though she's married?"

At once he realised what he had implied, and spoke quickly to correct her. "No, no – I'm not in love with her! I like her too much for that."

Somehow, though the dark cloaked Suki's features, he could sense her smile. "Still," she said, "I wouldn't mind being her."

Jimmy smirked. "Why, would you like to be married to the Captain?"

His companion giggled. "I didn't mean that!"

"Good."

She paused, and he saw her look again to the bridge, where Freddie was relinquishing the helm to his father. "He's an odd character, isn't he? The Captain, I mean. He frightened me at first, but then I see him with his children or his wife, and wonder how a man full of such love can possibly be frightening."

Jimmy did not respond at once. Again, his attention had been commanded by Suki's mere appearance.

"Jimmy," she asked, "are you even listening?" He nodded hurriedly, but she shook her head in disbelief, giggling. "Honestly, here I am pouring my heart out and you haven't heard a word I've been saying."

He caught the gleam of the moon in her eyes as they met his, and marvelled silently at her beauty. She was waiting for a response, and, lostfor words, he stretched out a hand to take hers, twisting his rough fingers affectionately through her slender ones.

"I'm sorry," he told her gently. "Can you forgive me?"

Again, he could almost feel her smiling shyly into the darkness of the crow's nest as she replied. "We'll see."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Please leave me a review to let me know what you make of this! 


	7. Chapter 7: Driftwood

**Chapter 7: Driftwood**

The Venture sailed further out to sea, its captain reluctant to return to the bustle of Wellington, and his wife took to Suki at once. She and Ann would often pass time with the New Zealander whenever Jimmy was working, and watched with delight as she visibly fell more and more in love with him as each day passed.

The young crewman was occupied in the hold one afternoon when she joined the cousins on deck, and Jane swiftly brought up her favourite topic of conversation.

"How is Jimmy?" she asked casually, casting Suki an innocent glance as she leant on the railing with a happy sigh.

"Working," she answered simply, gazing distantly out to sea. Ann and Jane exchanged smirks: both had already experienced that bizarre feeling which had just hit Suki. "He should be finished before long," she continued. "He'll come to find me afterwards."

"So you are quite in love with him, then?" Ann asked.

At once, the young girl appeared uncomfortable. "Oh… I don't know about that," she said hurriedly.

"Don't you?" Ann and Jane simply looked at her, breaking down her feeble objections without any words.

"All right!" she exclaimed, before lowering her voice. "I confess: I am very fond of him." She paused, taking in her companions' triumphant smiles. "What's that?" she asked suddenly, pointing over the side.

Following her gaze, the cousins saw something that sent shivers of fear through them both, instantly dispelling their innocent talk of romance.

Paling, Ann turned away. "Jane… it's not…?"

Below them, bobbing gently on the water, were three thick bamboo canes bound tightly together with cord. Jane looked up, fearfully scanning the horizon, for only in one place had she ever seen such a specimen before.

"What is it?" Suki asked. "Ann?"

The actress simply shook her head, but even as she did so, the wind began to tug a little harder at her golden curls, and Jane swiftly climbed the steps to the bridge.

"Frederick!" she called. With him at the helm was Mr King, so she simply whispered into her husband's ear, drawing back to see his reaction. His features did not shift, remaining as stony as ever. For a moment, Jane wondered if he had heard her.

"That's nonsense," he muttered at length.

"Look!" She pulled him round and pointed over the side of the ship to the innocently bobbing bamboo. Like Ann, the Captain paled startlingly.

"We don't know for certain that it's from there, Jane."

"Don't you remember how much of that we saw there? We're in the right part of the world. How do you know we're not drawing close to it?"

"To what?" King intruded.

Englehorn waved it away. "Some silly fantasy of my wife's, Mr King. Please continue."

"A silly fantasy? Frederick—"

"I know." He silenced his wife abruptly, before leading her outside to talk privately. "I won't believe it, I won't. I never want to go back there."

"It's not a matter of _wanting_ to. Once you're close it draws you in."

"What does?" Now Jimmy broke into their discussion. He stood on the steps, Suki and Ann below him, looking up at his Captain suspiciously. "Skipper?"

Before Englehorn could answer, a strong gust of wind whistled over the vessel, flinging Jimmy's cap high into the air. He jumped up the catch it with a yelp before it could float down into the sea, but the Captain looked back into the wind, his brow furrowed, his countenance unreadable.

"A storm is coming," he said quietly. His blue eyes met Jane's for a moment, but he said no more, moving inside again to deliver sharp instructions to Mr King.

* * *

The Venture did not sail into the storm until after darkness had fallen. The women, children and playwright of the ship took shelter below, attempting with difficulty to console frightened infants, but the crewmen were all active above deck. All of the crewman, that is, but one.

Jimmy staggered down the steep steps, trying to steady himself at the bottom as the vessel rolled violently from side to side. He cradled his left hand in his right, wincing as he fell against the wall.

"Jimmy?" he glanced up with a weak grin as he heard Suki's voice. "Are you—" She froze with an abrupt gasp, staring in horror at the vivid scarlet blood seeping through his fingers. "What's happened?" Her tone was now shrill and anxious; hurriedly she steered Jimmy towards her own cabin.

"A rope came loose," he explained indifferently. "It's nothing really… just stings a bit. Skipper told me to come down and clean it up."

Closing the door of her cabin behind her, Suki sat him down on her bunk with a forceful hand on his shoulder, regardless of the icy water on his clothes that instantly soaked her sheets. After rummaging briefly in a cupboard, she placed a chipped white porcelain bowl on his knees. "Bleed in there," she instructed, "I don't want you getting blood all over my pillow."

He nodded like an obedient pupil, but this bowl was swiftly replaced by a basin of water and Suki began to gently bathe his bleeding hand.

"It was very kind of the Captain to let you come down," she commented casually. "He doesn't strike me as the compassionate type."

"Usually he's not, but we've known each other years, the skipper and me, and I don't think he wanted me bleeding to death on deck."

Suki flashed him a small smile. "How long have you known him?"

"Ages." In his current state, Jimmy hadn't the energy to count the years. "I stowed away in one of the bat cages and Mr Hayes, the first mate then, persuaded him to let me stay on board."

The ship rocked particularly violently all of a sudden, and he grabbed the basin quickly with his free hand, though not quickly enough to prevent some of the already crimson water from spilling over the brim.

Suki cursed under her breath. "Hold on to the bowl tightly," she instructed, before springing from her seat on the bunk to mop up the puddle. She then tugged a fresh white bed sheet from a drawer and proceeded to rip it into narrow strips. Despite his stinging fingers, Jimmy could not help but smirk; Jane would be furious if she knew how violently her laboriously washed linen was being ruined.

"You look like you've done that before," he commented, noticing the ease with which Suki was able to produce neat, equal strips of cotton.

"You forget, I've lived with brothers all my life. The number of times I've been left to clean up after drunken brawls…"

He nodded in understanding. She took away the bowl, beginning to wrap the bed linen tightly around his hand as an improvised bandage. It was strangely peaceful in their little cabin, Jimmy thought, with the fury of the storm muffled by the hull, and you grew accustomed to the rocking after a while.

"There," Suki said triumphantly as she finished, sitting back to admire her work. Tentatively, Jimmy flexed his fingers and winced as pain shot up his arm.

"It's not working," he told her, his teeth clenched tightly together.

"It wasn't supposed to stop the pain, only the bleeding." A small smile played upon the young woman's lips. She seemed to derive an evil sort of pleasure from watching him suffer. "Honestly, Jimmy, you're supposed to be a hardened sailor."

He threw her a dark scowl, but that only made her giggle.

"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you what all the fuss was about today."

"What fuss?"

"You know, after Ann, Jane and I saw that strange bamboo in the sea? Everyone seemed frightened and tense all of a sudden. I thought I'd fallen into a scene from some cheesy Hollywood monster movie."

He smiled weakly, shrugging, knowing how close to the truth she really was. His display of ignorance did not convince her; she eyed him suspiciously.

"You were part of the scene, Jimmy. I know fine well that you know what I'm talking about."

As she spoke, the electric lights flickered, throwing them into complete darkness for a moment. Suki cast him a fearful glance as soon as they came back on. "What's happening?"

"It's just the storm. We'll be alright, don't worry."

Fumbling in his pocket, Jimmy produced a small torch: one of the possessions Mr Hayes had always advised him to keep handy. Silently he willed it to work, unsure whether it was designed to withstand being submerged in salty seawater, but the comforting yellow light still emanated from its tiny bulb.

"Stay with me, Jimmy," Suki begged.

He caught her eye, observing for the first time the frightened gleam behind them. He could barely believe his luck: here was his favourite girl, pretty and smart, suddenly transformed into a damsel in distress, and she was asking _him_ to be her bold rescuer. Lost for words, he simply nodded, but slid a comforting arm round her shoulders. Now her head was against his chest, so close he could feel the delicate curve of her right ear through his damp shirt. He was sure that she would hear his heart pounding, so loud was it in his own ears.

"We'll be fine, don't worry," he said again. His voice was quiet and quivering, but not in fear. With a small smile that he could not see, Suki realised this, and gently placed her left hand over his injured one.

Then, both secretly rejoicing in their hearts, the young companions settled down to wait out the storm.

* * *

**A/N: **As usual, I apologise for the long delay between this chapter and the last. Like all writers, I'm eager to know what my readers think, so please humour me, and leave a review! Many thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 8: Familiar Waters

**Chapter 8: Familiar Waters**

It was well into the afternoon of the following day before the storm finally blew itself out. It seemed to finish particularly ferociously, as if it wished to go out on a triumphant high note, before the winds finally calmed and patchy sunshine fell upon the thankful, weary Venture.

Englehorn heaved a heavy sigh before collapsing on to a chair. At last, the water around them was still. It had been an exhausting storm, lasting almost twenty-four hours, and his first mate followed his lead by sinking into the seat beside him.

"Well done, Mr King," the skipper said, giving the crewman a congratulatory nod. "At times, I wondered whether we were going to get through that one."

They exchanged glances; his tone was jovial, by his standards, but the fear had been real enough not so long ago.

"I'll have a look at the wiring," King said, making to get up again. "The lights were flickering last night, remember?"

"They can wait," Englehorn told him. "Would you mind staying here for a while? I just…"

Their eyes met again and the first mate nodded in understanding. "Not at all, Captain. Your family is a bigger priority than the wiring."

Without another word, Englehorn left the bridge, heavily descending the steps on his way below deck, and almost collided with Jimmy.

"Sorry, skipper!" he said brightly.

"How's your hand?"

"A little sore, but I'll live."

The Captain eyed the makeshift bandages. "Did you do that yourself?"

Jimmy shook his head with a mischievous grin. "Suki," he said simply.

Englehorn nodded knowingly, guessing that his young crewman had exchanged more than just bandages with the New Zealander last night, but before he could say anything, Jimmy had scampered past him, up the ladder and away.

The Captain moved on, soon reaching his own cabin.

"Dad!" His son shot out of the door with a yelp, thudding into his father and wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

"Have you been looking after the girls?" the sailor enquired, and the blonde head below him nodded enthusiastically.

Looking up, he met the tired eyes of his wife. She looked to have received just as little rest as he had, having spent the storm battling a different kind of fear altogether. Cathy was in her arms, and he stroked his daughter's rosy cheek affectionately with a rough fingertip.

"You're bleeding," Jane murmured, her brow furrowing in concern as she noticed the cut down his cheek from the same stray rope that had caught Jimmy's hand. At the time, he had been aware of little more than a vague stinging when the saltwater met it, and he eyed the gash nonchalantly in the mirror.

"It's nothing," he insisted, catching the hand that she, in her delightful, motherly way, raised to touch it. Instead, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply, lovingly, as he was rarely given chance to now. It was wonderful, reminding him of their very first one at the railing of the ship, the night after leaving the island for the first time.

"I was so frightened, Frederick," she whispered as they parted. He did not speak, but kissed her again.

Cathy squirmed in Jane's arms, forcing her to pull away, but her husband eagerly sought out her eyes, meeting them swiftly. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful they were, he realised, as he gazed into them now. Just as she always did, his wife looked down demurely with a shy smile, making him, as she always did, all the more eager to kiss her again.

"When was I last alone with you?" he asked in a murmur, his eyes still adoringly fixed on her.

Jane didn't answer; she could not remember. Two children and a busy ship between them left little time for romance.

"Is she going to be alright, dad?" Freddie piped up.

His father looked down at him blankly. "She?"

"The ship, of course. It was rough last night, and the lights kept going off."

The Captain smiled warmly. "I haven't checked yet, but we're still afloat, aren't we? That can only be a good thing." Freddie nodded. "Why don't you run up on deck and see if you can help Jimmy?"

At once, the youngster scampered away, but Suki appeared in the door not long afterwards. "Is everything all right?" she asked Englehorn.

"I think so." He paused. "I didn't realise you were a nurse."

She frowned in confusion. "I'm not."

"You did a very good job of making Jimmy feel better," Jane put in with a small smile.

Suki blushed and changed the subject. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

At once, Jane was seized by a sudden idea. "Would you be able to take Cathy for a little while?" she asked. "Not for long, but it's been a difficult day and I could do with a little while to myself."

Her husband gave her an adoring smile, realising with an almighty surge of love for her what she was doing. Suki watched them both for a moment, understanding dawning swiftly upon her. "Of course," she said, smirking, "for as long as you want."

Jane placed the golden-haired child in her arms with a sigh of relief that she could not suppress. "Thank you," she and her husband both said at once.

With a smile, Suki left them and Englehorn closed the door behind her. "Nicely done," he said, grinning, and within seconds she was in his arms again.

* * *

Evening was falling over the Venture, and Mr King stood on the bridge. It was a calm night and the moon was already visible, but a thin mist was creeping over the water. Glancing at the clock, he realised with a smirk that over an hour had passed since the Captain had disappeared to see to his family. Freddie had turned up on deck not long afterwards, as had Cathy in the arms of the girl from New Zealand, but Englehorn and his wife had yet to appear.

"Jimmy!" King called as the young crewman passed below him. "Have you seen the Captain?"

Jimmy simply shrugged in reply.

"I'm here, Mr King." Englehorn was climbing the steps to the bridge, straightening his cap as he ascended. "My apologies," he said, "I had not expected to be quite so long."

"Shall I check the wiring, Captain?"

"I already have. There were only a few minor problems and they're being repaired as we speak."

Jane came up the steps behind him and her husband paused, catching her eye with a small, flirtatious smile.

"Good evening, Mrs Englehorn," King said with a respectful nod.

"And you, Mr King," she responded, flashing him a radiant smile.

"Check our position," the Captain told him, his eyes not leaving his wife's. "Use the stars."

As King passed her to obey, Jane met her husband's gaze and smiled shyly, her mind going back to their time alone together below deck. She longed to disappear again into their cabin and revel once more in the undimmed passion of their romance. Taking a step closer to him, she pushed her fingers through his. Neither of them noticed King gazing motionlessly into the sky, thin tendrils of mist weaving around him, until he reappeared in the doorway, his face grave.

"There are no stars, Captain."

Jane froze, an icy fear piercing her heart instantly. The Captain's eyes went to the compass at once, to find that the needle was spinning anxiously between east and west, as if unsure where north lay any longer.

"Stop the engines," Englehorn said at once.

King stared. "Captain? We could easily find clear conditions."

"I gave you an order, Mr King." The Captain's voice was dangerously low. "Stop the engines at once."

"Aye, Captain."

"And I want Jimmy in the crow's nest at once."

Nodding, King obeyed. Frederick met his wife's eyes for a moment.

"It can't be," Jane whispered. "Frederick, surely it's not…"

"It's unlikely, but I'm not going to make the same mistakes as I did last time."

He made to pass her swiftly, but abruptly stopped as she caught hold of his arm. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he laid a comforting hand on her cheek. "Don't be frightened, my love," he told her quietly. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, before hurrying away down the steps.

* * *

**A/N:** As always, thanks for reading and any reviews would be greatly appreciated. School/exams are over now so I'll try to update this more frequently!


	9. Chapter 9: The Island

**Chapter 9: The Island**

Jane woke early the next morning. The cabin was dimly lit by dawn's first rays peeping through the curtains, but she did not need to open her eyes to know that she was alone in bed. At once, she missed the warmth of her husband's body. She dressed slowly, listening to Cathy's gentle breathing, and kissed her daughter's forehead softly before slipping out of the cabin.

The ship seemed strangely quiet. The engines were still silent as Jane climbed to the bridge. It was a chilly morning, and the vast grey expanse of the sky was clear. She saw her husband standing at the helm, leaning with one hand on the top of the window frame as he often did when tired, staring out over the sea. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard her footsteps, but said nothing.

"Why didn't you come to bed last night?" she asked.

"I was waiting for the fog to clear."

He turned to her at last, his face pale and his blue eyes tired, but looked wordlessly over her shoulder. Following his gaze, she saw it too: the dark mass of an island on the horizon, thrusting its tall, sharp peaks into the sky. A haze seemed to hang in the air around it, as if the fog had yet to fully disperse.

The very sight instilled an immense terror into Jane's heart. For a moment, she stood unmoving, her eyes fixated on the brooding dark shape.

"It could be any island," she said eventually, her voice quivering. "Frederick? We can't say for certain that it's…" Her voice faltered as he met his eyes.

"No compasses are working," he told her in a grave monotone. "It's just like last time. The storm; the fog; the driftwood you saw a few days back – it's beyond doubt. We've been drawn in again, caught up in its traps just like you said we would be." He paused, turning his eyes back to the distant peaks. "We've been blown back to Skull Island."

* * *

There was a dim light in Suki's cabin when she opened her eyes, but she knew at once that that had not woken her. She could hear raised voices just outside her cabin, muffled by the wooden walls, and climbed out of her bunk to listen at the door. The voices, she realised at once, were those of the American writer and his glamorous wife.

"I won't believe it, Jack," Ann was saying, "it can't be true."

"Ann…"

"I won't believe it!" she said again, her voice shrill.

Suki hardly dared to breathe, captivated by the exchange occurring outside her door.

"This whole trip has just been one big nightmare," Ann continued, her voice strangely thick, as if she spoke through tears, "and this is the worst part so far. At home, I had terrifying dreams of coming back here… and the children…"

She broke down; Suki could hear her violent sobs through the door. Turning the doorknob, she glanced out. Jack, holding his distraught wife in his arms, met her eyes at once.

"What is it?" she asked.

He simply shook his head wordlessly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Giving her a dark look, the playwright shook his head and led his wife away. Suki watched them go before dressing hurriedly and heading up onto deck. She met Jane on the steps, and found that even she looked tired and troubled.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Jane, like Jack, simply shook her head and passed by swiftly. Suki stared after her in confusion, before glancing fearfully up the remaining steps, beginning to imagine what sort of horrific sight would meet her at the top. She came up slowly onto deck but all that she saw was a distant island on the horizon. Glancing up at the bridge, she spotted the captain staring out vacantly over the sea towards the island, his countenance stern and unreadable. Her gaze next fell on the crow's nest, in which Jimmy sat. Smiling without knowing it, she began to climb up, certain that he of all people would be willing to talk to her.

"Hello, Jimmy," she said brightly as she came to the top.

He turned to her with a small, thin smile, but said nothing as she settled down beside him.

"Are you going to talk to me, then?" she asked, watching him closely.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There's something funny going on. Everybody seems frightened about something, but nobody is willing to explain why."

He nodded towards the island, his eyes dark. "That's why."

"The island? I don't understand."

For a moment he said nothing, simply fiddling absent-mindedly with a fraying end of rope, but slowly began to speak in a low, quiet tone.

"'We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there – there you could look at a thing monstrous and free.'"

She looked at him blankly. "I'm afraid I don't follow you."

"That's from 'Heart of Darkness'." He paused, still tugging at the rope distractedly. "You might have heard – in about '33 or '34 – about a man called Carl Denham, a film maker. He famously captured a giant ape on a remote, undiscovered island: Skull Island. He brought it back to New York and put it in a stage show on Broadway."

"Of course – who hasn't heard about the magnificent King Kong?" Grinning, she did not appear to notice his solemnity. "At the time, I remember thinking what a stupid idea it was, putting a creature like that on a stage. It was bound to escape, really. And what sort of a captain would be stupid enough to transport it back to America?"

He nodded over her shoulder towards the bridge. "That sort of a captain."

She followed his gaze, frowning in confusion. "You've lost me again."

"Denham blackmailed Captain Englehorn into capturing the ape. Ann Driscoll was the actress the natives abducted, the ape was taken back on this very ship and that," he nodded towards the island again, "is Skull Island."

"Hilarious, Jimmy."

"You think I'm joking?" He cast her a dark glance, but his eyes soon flicked back to the ominous, shadowy landmass on the horizon. "A lot of good men never left that island. You can't even begin to imagine what it was like. In nightmares I've been back there, but I thought I'd escaped forever in reality."

"You lost friends?"

"A very good friend."

Suki took his hand comfortingly, her eyes softened by pity.

"My Hayes was killed when he was leading one of the search parties on the island. I can still see it happening. It was so quick, but in my mind it seems to go on forever – sort of slowed down. I can see him even now, falling into that pit…"

Suki watched him wordlessly, her eyes wide. When next he met her gaze, his eyes were gleaming with tears that tugged painfully at her heart.

"That's why no one wants to talk. Everyone is haunted by their memories of that place."

She nodded in understanding, giving his fingers an affectionate squeeze. "You don't have to go back there," she said. "It's miles away still. We can just sail away and never see it again, can't we?"

Jimmy said nothing, avoiding her eyes.

* * *

Jane was in her cabin with her children, cradling Cathy with one arm and stroking her son's hair gently with her other hand. What frightened her most about being so near Skull Island once more was the thought that they were with her, and her greatest fear was that either of her two darlings might come to harm. Last time had been terrible enough, but she had not been a mother then.

The memories were all flooding back to her: fleeing wildly through the jungle; hearing Ann's distant screams in the shadowy village of the natives; the bodies of dead sailors strewn at the bottom of a deep ravine…

"Why are you crying, mum?"

"Crying?" She had not even noticed, and hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm just being silly, Freddie, don't worry."

He nestled into her, laying his blonde head on her shoulder as he always had done as an infant. Jane felt a painful surge of love for both her son and her daughter and more tears spilled from her eyes. They could not stay here any longer; she would not let them be harmed.

The cabin door opened with a distinctive click and she glanced up to meet her husband's solemn eyes.

"Jane," he murmured, "why these tears?"

"Because I have two such wonderful children," she answered, her voice thick, and she held each one tightly. "Because I have a beautiful angel of a daughter and the best little boy in the world, though he's not so little any more," she added with a small, sad smile, affectionately tapping her son's nose. "Because they are more precious to me than anything else in the world and I love them dearly." She placed a fervent kiss on the top of her son's head, but he squirmed away.

"Mum!" he moaned. "Stop it!"

"Come here, Freddie," his father said, sitting down on his bunk, and the boy willingly did so, though pulled a face as the captain put an arm around him. "You'll be a brave boy, won't you?" his father said. "Your mother is very upset, so I'm relying on you to be a big boy and help me."

"Why is she upset?"

Englehorn met his wife's eyes. "Because mothers get upset sometimes." He paused, and Jane felt a rush of ardent love for him. "Now, why don't you go and ask Carlo for some hot chocolate? He's making lots of it today."

"Should I get some for mum?"

"That's a good idea."

With that, Freddie scampered away and his father took the seat beside his mother.

"I'm frightened, Frederick," she said softly.

"Me too." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before looking down into the wide, shining eyes of his infant daughter and stroking her rosy cheek with a rough fingertip. "She's a beautiful little thing," he said. "She takes after her mother."

"When are we going to leave this place?" Jane asked suddenly. "I don't want to stay here any longer."

"No compasses on board are working. We'll wait for nightfall and use the stars."

"What about the fog?"

"If we can't find north, we'll sail as straight as we can away from the island and find clear conditions." He met her eyes with a comforting smile. "Everything will work out well," he promised her. "After all, you and I have had more than our fair share of bad luck. I think we're due some good fortune."

She returned the smile, though ruefully. "Those sound like famous last words if ever I heard any."

"Trust me, my love. I would never let any of you come to harm."

* * *

It was a still night. But for the gentle lapping of the water, no sounds reached Jimmy's ears as he perched in the crow's nest. Below him, the captain and Mr King were studying the stars in the clear sky, working quickly though the sun had not yet fully set. Even now, the first tendrils of fog were beginning to creep over the sea.

As always, a book was open in his lap, its tattered pages illuminated by the feeble yellow light of a small torch. Tonight he was reading about Captain Nemo once more, though, if truth be told, his mind was elsewhere. A certain pretty New Zealander was occupying his full attention, her dark, glittering eyes ever seeming to hover before his own. Where was she now, he wondered? In her bunk, most probably, and for a moment he pictured her dark hair on the pillow and wondered whether she was thinking of him too.

Suddenly, a flash of movement on deck caught his eye and he sat up quickly. Below, all was still. Had he imagined it? Then he caught another glimpse, and froze. A dark hand was creeping over the railing, followed by a long, thin arm, then a head…

"Natives!" he yelled, fear tearing through him and his heart pounding. "Natives on board!"

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you to my remaining readers for sticking with me. I realised as I was writing this that remarkably little has happened in this story so far, so I decided to add a little bit of excitement at long last. Please review! If you do, I might even upload the next chapter fairly soon...


	10. Chapter 10: The Attack

_Suddenly, a flash of movement on deck caught his eye and he sat up quickly. Below, all was still. Had he imagined it? Then he caught another glimpse, and froze. A dark hand was creeping over the railing, followed by a long, thin arm, then a head…_

"_Natives!" he yelled, fear tearing through him and his heart pounding. "Natives on board!"_

**Chapter 10 – The Attack**

The shadowy figures spilled onto the deck quickly, spreading like spilled oil.

"Skipper!" Jimmy yelled, already clambering down the rope ladder.

Doors banged open and the frantic shout of the sailors shattered the peace of the night, but the skipper's voice rose above them all as he delivered his orders. Weapons seemed to appear from nowhere – rifles, pistols, knives – as the seamen rushed to the defence of their vessel. A revolver was pressed into Jimmy's hands by someone but he hurried below deck regardless: he had to warn her.

"Suki!"

There she was at the door of her cabin, her eyes wide in fear. Jack, Ann and Jane stood behind her.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"Natives. They're on board. We're under attack."

"I'll help," Jack said at once, but his wife swooned and collapsed into his arms before he could. Within seconds, Ann was lying on Jane's bunk with all four young children gathered around her. Jack hurried up onto deck to join the fighting and Jimmy made to follow, but Suki grabbed his arm.

"You be careful," she told him.

"Stay in your cabin. Bolt the door."

"But you, Jimmy, you..."

Their eyes met; one glance said everything.

"I know," he said, and hurried away.

Jane had already bolted the door of her own cabin. Ann was sitting up by now and held her children tightly. Cathy was crying and Freddie pale-faced and quiet. He watched his mother rummaging in his father's desk, reaching right to the back of a drawer and pulling out a pistol.

"Is it loaded?" Ann asked.

Her cousin simply nodded.

"But you don't think..."

They held each other's gaze for a second with wide, fearful eyes and Jane shook her head wordlessly.

"Mum," Freddie said quietly, "mummy, I'm frightened."

His mother drew him tightly into her arms. "I know, my darling, but try to be brave." Looking down into the cradle, she stroked the head of her wailing baby daughter. "Shh, my angel. Mummy's here."

"Where did Suki go?" Ann asked.

Jane did not answer; she did not know.

Suddenly there was an almighty pounding on the door of the cabin, so strong that it shook on its hinges. Jane threw herself against it, silently willing the bolts to hold. "Who's there?" she called, but the only reply was more thundering fists. Ann let out a whimper of fear and clutched her children tightly to her. Freddie stood frozen in terror by his sister's cradle.

The cabin door groaned under the strain. With a loud crack one of the hinges was wrenched loose and a hand reached through the gap, scrabbling at Jane's ankles. Letting out a yell, she fired the pistol through the gap. The hand was quickly withdrawn.

"Freddie, shut your eyes!" she ordered and rammed the door shut with her shoulder.

Again it was roughly shoved open. Jane forced it back, but her strength was outmatched and the second hinge gave way. She saw the attacker for a second as the door flew open. Looking back, all she would ever remember were the eyes: terrifyingly black, yet ablaze with hatred and anger. For a moment she could not bring herself to move, paralysed with fear, but her will returned as the figure before her glanced hungrily over Ann and the children. Without a second's hesitation, she raised the pistol in both hands and pressed the trigger.

The native man fell, dead, a second later, the fire in his eyes extinguished.

Jane slammed the door, holding the broken hinges in place. "Help me, Ann!" she called, and together they shifted a heavy chest of drawers across the doorway. This completed, Jane leaned back against the wall and a deep, weary sigh escaped from her lips.

"You killed him," Ann said, meeting her cousin's eyes fearfully.

"I had no choice." For a fleeting moment, the actress observed that Jane had never resembled her husband more. She stared at the pistol in her hands with her features set into a stony, grim expression of stoical determination and her lips pressed tightly together. Even her voice was unusually harsh, almost devoid of emotion, though her eyes betrayed her fear. Placing the gun gingerly on the table, she sat down slowly beside her daughter's cradle and drew Freddie tenderly to her side. They did not say another word.

The fighting was over before long. Neither Jane nor Ann moved once the gunfire ceased, each replaying in their mind the death of their attacker, but glanced up quickly as fists thundered on the door once more.

"Jane! Are you in there?"

"Frederick!" She leapt to her feet and heaved the drawers out of the way, impatiently pulling back the broken door. She was taken into her husband's arms almost before she saw him, and did not see Jack hurry by to be with his own wife. The Captain kissed her passionately, so much so that they failed to notice Freddie tugging at their arms for a moment or two.

"Are you hurt?" Englehorn asked when he drew back at last.

"No," Jane answered, lifting Cathy out of her cradle to comfort her while Frederick embraced his son.

"There was a body outside your door," he said quietly to his wife afterwards. "Did you..."

"I found your pistol. He had broken down the door – I had no choice." She spoke quickly and anxiously, as if defending herself, and her husband placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Jane," he said simply. She met his gaze, her eyes wide in fear, and saw at once that he understood her internal turmoil perfectly. "Not now, my love," he told her. "Tell me everything later, but be strong for now."

Nodding, she forced a thin smile and changed the subject. "Were any of the men hurt?"

"None of ours. We put the natives over the side."

"Good."

Frederick kissed her forehead affectionately. "I must go now. We'll start the engines and be away as quickly as we can."

She nodded.

"Skipper!"

They froze as Jimmy's anxious voice reached their ears and turned to see him standing in the doorway, leaning breathlessly on the splintered frame. His face was white and his hands quivered uncontrollably.

"I can't find her, skipper. I've looked everywhere and I can't find her. She's not on board, I swear..."

"Who?" the Captain asked.

Suddenly, a high-pitched, heart-rending scream tore through the night, not yet distant but beyond the hull of the Venture.

At once, they knew the reason for Jimmy's distress.

"Suki," he said simply, his voice thick with pain. "They've taken her."

* * *

**A/N:** What can I say? After promising a swift update in exchange for reviews, this one has taken months, and I apologise. Hopefully this was worth the wait and any readers patient enough to stick with me will be kind enough to leave a review...


	11. Chapter 11: The Wall

**Chapter 11 – The Wall**

For a second or two, time seemed to stop. Nobody moved; all eyes were fixed on Jimmy in horror, his revelation echoing in their ears. Eventually, Jane became vaguely aware of movement and heard her husband hurriedly delivering orders, but his militant tones hardly pierced the haze that now surrounded her.

It was all happening again just like last time, she repeated to herself: the fog; the natives; the distant scream of an abducted young woman. Surely, like last time, these were but precedents to all that had followed last time: namely, the deaths of countless innocent men. And this time, she realised, there was no giant ape to protect Suki. Would the captive this time be offered up to a less compassionate beast? Perhaps even now her wrists were being tightly bound to a frame of bamboo canes, ready to lower her over a fiery chasm...

"Jane."

Frederick's voice, softer now, reached her as if from a distance. Her eyes opened at last to all that surrounded her and met his.

"Jane," he said again, taking Cathy from her arms and leading her into their now empty cabin, "I'm going to lead a search party on the island."

She said nothing; she had expected this much.

"You will stay here with Ann and the children."

She nodded despondently. She had not the will to argue.

"King and fifteen others will remain on board. Now, Jane, if I don't return..."

"Frederick, no..."

"If I don't return, you must help Mr King to sail home. Promise me that you will."

"I will make no such promise, Frederick, and you know it."

"Promise me, Jane. If I don't return, I want you to be safe."

"I won't lose you."

"Promise."

She lowered her eyes sadly. "I promise."

"And promise me that you will never follow me onto the island."

"I could never leave you."

"For the children's sake, Jane, swear to me now that you will never set a foot on the island. If they must lose a father, their mother cannot leave them too."

She felt a lump rising in her throat at this sombre talk of death. "But you will come back, won't you, Frederick?" she asked.

He eyes her regretfully for a moment or two. "I don't know what will happen."

After watching her for a moment more, he leaned forwards to kiss her and Jane reached up to slide her arms around his neck, drawing him closer and revelling in the familiar warmth of his body. Subconsciously, she stowed every touch, every movement and every breath carefully in her memory, that she might seek solace in them when her husband was beyond reach.

* * *

For those who had been with the Venture on her first ill-fated voyage to Skull Island, the approach to the rocky shore was a difficult one. With each heave of the oars, the dying cries of a long-lost companion rang in their ears, and with each icy spray of sea water a new nightmarish image would flash across the consciousness.

A strong breeze was getting up and the sea tossed their little boats back and forth ever more roughly – just like last time. They drew the boats up onto the same shingle beach, hurried through the same dark tunnels and clambered across the same narrow bridges to the natives' settlement. Jimmy called Suki's name again and again but no reply came, and his frantic voice was the only sound that echoed around the eerily silent village. Jack's gun slipped in his clammy hands, his mouth dry as he retraced the very steps that he and Ann had taken together all those years ago, led onto the island by the blind, ruthless greed of a filmmaker.

Englehorn led the party now, seemingly fearless in the dark maze of buildings, but the boundless silence weighed down upon every heart. There was no fire this time, no harsh native calls, no screams – nothing. A new mystery faced them as they reached the gates in the wall. They had not been repaired and by now were overgrown, barely recognisable as those which Jack and Ann had found closed last time.

"Suki!" Jimmy yelled, straining his voice and scrambling up to the gates. "Suki! Where are you?" He found nothing but a broken bridge over a seemingly bottomless gorge and, beyond, the impenetrable blackness of the jungle.

"Anything?" Englehorn called.

"Nothing," Jimmy revealed, returning into view and kicking a stone furiously down the steps. He spread his arms wide in frustration. "She's gone."

Jack felt a painful lump rising in his throat. He had stood there once and, in despair, had shouted the very same words back to Mr Hayes.

"She could be anywhere," Jimmy went on, his voice thickening as what little hope he had had trickled away. "We'll never find her."

"We must," the Captain insisted flatly. "I accepted responsibility for Miss Jackson when I took her on board. I cannot abandon her." Heeding the firmness of his tone, not one doubted his resolve. Jack, with a small surge of hope, recalled that Englehorn had not been with them from the outset last time, and was reassured somewhat by the militaristic boldness that the Captain now adopted.

"This settlement is deserted," Englehorn decided. Kneeling down, he picked up a shard of brown glass from the mossy ground. "It probably hasn't been touched since we were last here, but nor has the bridge beyond the wall. Miss Jackson must be on this side." Pausing, he swept his eyes over the landscape, recalling it perfectly. "To the West, the wall runs into the sea, so it is unlikely that they took her that way. If they came from the sea to the South and didn't go North across the bridge, they must have headed East. We'll split up and head in that direction." He met Jack's eyes. "Driscoll, you've been here before. Lead the second party. Jimmy, go with him. I'll lead the other."

In what seemed like little more than a matter of seconds, the Captain had divided his crewmen into two and decided the routes. His party would follow the line of the wall until it met the sea; Jack's was to follow a trail that they spotted leading East along the coast. If any men were lost, the survivors were to return to the Venture within forty-eight hours. Agreeing to meet at the easternmost end of the wall, the rescuers set out.

The Captain's party soon plunged into the jungle once past the outer reaches of the village and came across a narrow path hugging the foot of the ominously vast wall. With his experience of tracking, it was not long before Englehorn identified fresh human footprints. They pressed on eagerly by the light of stars and torches, and the discovery of a pair of light shoes only heightened their need for haste. The Captain took a moment to calm himself upon first spotting them in the undergrowth, for they belonged to Jane, and it was some seconds before he remembered that she had leant them to Suki. Bearing this in mind, he stowed them carefully and affectionately in his ammunition bag.

Though Jack's party did not chance upon any signs so clear as feminine footwear, they too discovered prints. Jimmy, after years of hunting with Englehorn, was the sailor to identify them, but his feverish anxiety only intensified. Watching him, Jack felt his pain keenly and remembered all too well the terror of losing a woman whom he had not yet had chance to love as he wished to. He recalled the ceaseless fear; the frustrated love; the selfless devotion – everything that he now perceived in his young companion.

The party walked for hours with no success, and it was only once dawn tentatively broke that Jack became aware of his own exhaustion. Jimmy's anxiety had driven him on so far, but to go on any longer without rest would be nothing short of suicidal.

"We'll stop here," he called. "Take five minutes, and then we've got to go on."

The others sank to the ground with sighs of relief, but Jimmy came tearing up to him furiously, as Jack had suspected that he might.

"We can't stop now, Jack!" he said. "We can't lose a minute. Come on – we must keep going!"

"Jimmy," Jack said gently, "you'll collapse in exhaustion if you go on any further. Rest, then we can move on quickly."

"But we've got to find Suki!"

"I know, buddy. I've been there too, remember?"

Jimmy said nothing. Seemingly, this thought had not yet occurred to him. They sat down together, side-by-side, with their backs against a lichen covered boulder. The breeze blowing in off the sea refreshed them, as did the water that they gulped down.

"I forgot that you'd know," Jimmy said quietly. "I couldn't think about anything but Suki."

Jack nodded slowly, saying nothing, but closely observing the anxious young seaman.

"We've got to find her," Jimmy said again. "If I don't, I'll... I'll..."

"I know. You'll spend the rest of your life blaming yourself and regretting that you never told her you felt."

"At least you'd kissed Ann before she was taken."

Jack regarded him suspiciously. "How do you know?"

"These things get around."

"So you've never kissed her?"

Jimmy shook his head wistfully. "I never really got a chance to. And as for telling her..."

"You will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I got Ann back, didn't I? And we're married with children now."

"Things were different then."

"That doesn't matter." Though Jimmy did not refute this, it was clear that he remained unconvinced, so Jack explained his meaning. "If you truly believe that Suki is out there somewhere, and that you can find her, nothing in the world will stop you. If you believe in your future with her strongly enough, you'll find her."

* * *

Neither Englehorn nor Jack found any further signs of Suki that morning. They met on the edge of the jungle not long after noon as their paths merged into one and found themselves on the rim of a narrow valley. It was more like a bowl than a valley, Jack observed to himself, as if some almighty deity had reached down to touch the earth with a fingertip and left a vast indentation on the surface. At the bottom, nestled between the jungle's boundary and the foot of the wall, lay a village. Concealed under the edge of the trees' canopy, Englehorn revealed the next stage of his plan to Jack and Jimmy.

"The tracks merge here and continue down to the village," he said. "Miss Jackson must be there. Driscoll, stay here with the men. Jimmy and I will go down to get a closer look."

Jack nodded and noted the eager flicker in Jimmy's eyes. The young seaman could sense now that Suki was nearby and followed the Captain carefully while the others remained behind, hidden still on the edge of the jungle.

Englehorn led him not down the path, but through the ever-thinning undergrowth alongside it, ducking down to avoid being seen from the village. It was little more than a hamlet, if truth be told, and consisted of perhaps ten small houses of mud, above which a stone tower rose in the centre. Approaching slowly, they caught sight of natives now and again, though saw nothing of Suki. Just outside the village, the undergrowth came to an end and the sailors were forced to stop behind a convenient boulder.

"We can't go any further," Englehorn said, though this much was clear to Jimmy. "Can you see anything?"

"I can't see Suki, if that's what you mean."

"Then we'll have to go in and take her by force." He paused, as if considering his options. "But we don't know how many natives there are, and we can't be certain that she is even there..."

Jimmy's eyes widened suddenly. "Skipper –"

"What is it?"

But then Englehorn felt it too: the cold, sharp point of a spear at the back of his neck. He cursed under his breath in his native tongue. How could he have been so foolish? How could he have failed to see their approach? He cast a sideways glance at Jimmy, who was threatened by a tall, gangly native with bare skin decorated crudely with red paint, and saw that the young seaman had not brought a weapon. His own pistol was in a holster by his side, but to reach for it would prove to be fatal. A voice behind them uttered a short, harsh call. Though they did not understand, the points against their backs forced them to their feet and their hands were swiftly bound.

"Skipper..." Jimmy muttered fearfully, but the Captain merely shook his head wordlessly in reply, and their captors led them away.

* * *

**A/N:** I was so inspired by your lovely reviews that, despite November review tests in English and a Grade 5 music theory exam this week, I still found time to write and upload this. I hope you liked it, and that you'll keep the feedback coming! Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12: Negotiations

**Chapter 12 – Negotiations**

Jane stood at the railing of the Venture and gazed out across the water. Her eyes were drawn back to the island time and time again, and she could not escape from its icy clutches, no matter how fiercely she struggled. Her husband was out there somewhere, she knew, as was Suki, the poor girl who had unknowingly come aboard in search of safety. How could she have known where the winds of the South Seas would blow them?

It was not long after noon and the sun shone weakly, through a strong sea breeze blew. The Venture was unusually silent, despite Mr King was doing his upmost to keep the sailors occupied, and time passed agonisingly slowly. No one on board, but for the happily ignorant infants, had slept at all through the night, and Jane had spent the hours of darkness in the bunk opposite her cousin, who dared not close her eyes in fear.

"Mum?"

She glanced down. Freddie stood by her side and she gave him a weak smile, placing a fond, motherly arm around his shoulders. "Yes, Mr Englehorn?"

"How long will daddy be gone?"

In reality, Mr King had been instructed to set sail for Australia once more after three days, whether or not the rescue party returned, but Jane could not bring herself to tell her son this. "I don't know," she answered simply.

"He's on one of his adventures, isn't he?"

"Yes – just like the ones I used to tell you about." Her smile gained a nostalgic glimmer as she recalled the days of living alone with Freddie in their New York apartment. Sometimes, she missed those days.

Her son's voice brought her back into the present.

"Daddy always told me that he'd take me adventuring with him one day."

"One day he will, but not yet."

"Why not?"

Her son turned his blue eyes up enquiringly, but Jane turned her own gaze out towards the ominous silhouette of the island.

"Because real-life adventures aren't always like the ones in the stories. Sometimes they can be dangerous, and daddy and I want to keep you safe." Her son appeared to accept this answer with a nod. "But I know how you feel," she sighed. "I don't like waiting here either. If I could, I'd join your father in an instant."

* * *

At that moment, though Jane could not know, her husband was gaining solace from the very fact that she and the children were safely aboard the Venture. He and Jimmy were led into the natives' village, the thoughts of both centred on wives or lovers in distress, the elder with considerably more apprehension than the selfless younger. They were brought before the stone tower that they had spotted earlier on their ill-fated reconnaissance mission: a crumbling pillar of rock riddled with grotesque carvings and – Jimmy thought with an irrepressible shudder – human skeletons. At the foot of it stood an old woman whom Ann would have recognised with terror. She was a wizened old creature revered by her people, largely because she had once prepared sacrificial victims for a gruesome end; and a stout, self-important man not much younger stood by her side – her bodyguard, Englehorn supposed with a small smile. His pistol remained in its holster, for thankfully the natives were not aware of the threat it posed. For a moment he considered shooting his way out of this mess, but curiosity soon overcame his need to escape. If he and Jimmy were to be killed, they could have been without being dragged before authority.

The old woman called out a string of unintelligible words in her own tongue, and, as she finished, fixed the captives with an icy, penetrating glare.

"We can't understand a word you're saying," he returned blithely, though aware that she would be equally ignorant.

Jimmy was not listening, but cast his eyes around eagerly for any sign of Suki.

Again, the crone called out loudly to them, and again they did not understand her. Englehorn raised his eyebrows, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, giving the universal gesture for, "sorry – still don't know," but even this was lost on the islanders. What would they understand? The Captain could usually rely on his sharp wit and steely glare to get him out of tricky situations, and, if neither had any effect, could usually resort to violence. Eyeing the polished tips of his guards' spears, he decided against this option too, before his eyes travelled down a spear's wooden shaft and lingered on the marks it made on the dusty ground. His brain formed a connection swiftly.

Kneeling down, he began to draw in the dirt with a fingertip. Though no artist, he managed a basic image of a ship, complete with a wavy line to represent the sea, and, glancing up, pointed to the picture, himself and Jimmy in turn. The woman and her henchman edged closer in curiosity and she nodded, though her eyes were narrow and suspicious. Next, Englehorn drew a girl, taking particular care over her short, dark hair.

"She was wearing a skirt when they took her," said Jimmy, catching on, "and a scarf that Ann gave her."

Giving his companion a simple nod of thanks, Englehorn perfected his drawing of Suki and pointed to the hag leering over him. Fleetingly, so quickly the movement was barely discernable, her eyes darted to their right, and he stored this unwitting revelation in his memory. Now the old woman hobbled forward and began to draw her own pictures with the end of her walking stick. Slowly, Englehorn recognised the sketchy form of an ape. He blinked in surprise.

"Denham's monster," Jimmy muttered behind him.

The woman now pointed from Suki to the ape, back and forth repeatedly, speaking hurriedly all the time.

"I don't understand," Englehorn told her irritably, and, as if she understood, she began to draw the second of her pictures: a skull, the eyes of which were abnormally large. Ann would have recognised it instantly, as would Jack, but it took the Captain a moment longer to recall that bone carvings identical to this had littered the final resting place of Kong's victims. At once, the truth hit him.

"They want to sacrifice her to the ape," he said aloud, his voice slow and quiet. "They think she'll bring him back."

"But he's dead!" Jimmy cried. "We saw his body on the streets of New York. Dead!" he repeated firmly, looking into the faces of the intrigued natives.

Englehorn reverted to his own more effective method of communication: he mimicked the action and sounds of gunfire then drew a bold cross through the image of the ape. From the sudden flare of anger in the crone's eyes, he quickly understood that this was the worst thing he could possibly have done. Raising her stick like a witch in a horror film, she shouted a string of harsh sounds and a swarm of natives rushed forward to do her bidding. Englehorn was hoisted to his feet and swiftly stripped of any loose items on his person. His bag was lifted from his shoulder, his trusty pistol tugged from its holster at last and a battered compass – that did not work on the island anyway – was plucked from the pocket of his trousers.

"I need those," he protested, but might as well have remained silent, for he received only dark looks in reply. Finally, his cap was pulled off his head. This he would not tolerate. "Give that back!" he ordered, stretching out bound hands to take it back in anger, but was pushed back by a sharp blow across the side of his head. With a roar he sprang back to retaliate – every ounce of his being screaming for revenge – but the thought of Jane and the children drifted suddenly into his mind and forced his rampant fury to subside.

"Thieving bastard," he muttered regardless. The thief was the crone's henchman, who rammed the Captain's cap firmly on his own head now even as the seaman watched, smirking.

Englehorn felt discomfortingly naked without his hat. On board, it was a sign of his authority, and with it came the gratifying title of "Captain Englehorn", by which he was known in ports worldwide. It had almost become part of him over the years, and, robbed of it, he was no more than an ageing sailor.

"Thieving bastard!" he could not stop himself yelling once more. "You won't be so damn smug once I get my hands free!"

But then he and Jimmy were dragged away a second time, to where, the younger dared to hope, he had an idea.

* * *

Jack and the others had seen the Captain and Jimmy taken. From the edge of the jungle, they had watched the natives creep up behind the unsuspecting seamen, take them by surprise and lead them away, and all the while Jack had urged the others not to shoot or shout. He remembered Englehorn saying once, in his practical, German way, that it was acceptable for one life to be lost if others could be saved by the sacrifice, and did not believe that the Captain would have intervened, had he been in Jack's situation.

Thankfully, though somewhat begrudgingly in certain cases, the sailors obeyed him, until Englehorn and Jimmy disappeared from sight.

"Bloody marvellous!" one crewman exclaimed, casting down his rifle in anger. "What the bloody hell did you do that for?" he asked, turning on Jack. "What good did that do?" The man's name was Kelly, and he was a fiery-tempered Irishman. "Who are you to give us orders?" he went on. "The skipper didn't tell us to obey you."

This appeared to be a popular notion, for new voices now took it up with zest.

"You're not even one of the crew!"

"Just 'cause you were here last time..."

"You were never in the army."

"If anyone's in charge, it ought to be me."

"Do you even know how we're going to get the Captain and the young lad out of there?"

Jack shut his eyes and let out a weary sigh, allowing the tirade to wash over him like a wave. He had explored the ideas behind mob psychology in several of his plays, and had actually included a scene not dissimilar to this in a particularly popular one back in '38. For a moment, he recalled the splendour of the opening night with fondness. The voices ceased; he resurfaced.

"Fellas," he began, "I'm not trying to order you about. I'm only saying what I think Englehorn would do, if he were here."

"How d'you know what he'd do?"

"I've known him for longer than most of you, and better than any of you. Our wives are cousins – Jesus, I couldn't escape the man if I tried."

One or two wry smiles rose to unshaven faces.

"But seriously," Jack went on, "I've been here before. I've seen a little of how these natives work, enough to know what they're likely to do with captives."

"Kill them?" someone suggested.

"If they wanted to, they could've speared the skipper right away." This retort came from an Australian whom Jack hardly knew, but he gave him a brief, appreciative nod before continuing.

"In this part of the world, they're big on human sacrifice."

"Bloody 'ell!" This exclamation came from a cockney, Saunders. "Come on Shakespeare, this ain't Hollywood."

Jack simply looked back at the man, deadly serious.

"We can't let them sacrifice the skipper!" put in a Chinaman fondly named Marbles – why, Jack had no idea.

"The skipper wouldn't let 'em," one sailor said with a chortle, but few others shared his humorous outlook.

"How can we rescue them?" Marbles asked urgently.

Though the men had been keen to censure him only seconds ago, all eyes now turned to Jack and watched him expectantly.

"My plan's only simple," he warned.

"We'll hear it anyway," Saunders insisted.

The crewmen moved in closer to listen carefully and Jack paused for a moment in thought as they did so. "Right," he said eventually, "here's what we'll do..."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm getting quite good at this updating frequently thing, aren't I? Thanks for reading, and remember that reviews are perhaps my greatest inspiration, motivation and reward for writing. Please give me one!


	13. Chapter 13: The Third Prisoner

**Chapter 13 – The Third Prisoner**

When Jimmy and Englehorn were dragged away for the second time, the younger found it difficult to conceal his hopeful smile. The Captain continued to mutter angrily about the theft of his cap, but Jimmy knew – he was certain, in that deepest, most secret section of his heart – that Suki was near, and that he would soon see her.

The seamen were brought into a small stone building, almost square, with a low doorway under which they were forced to stoop and a crudely-carved wooden pillar rising to the centre of the roof. Kneeling on the dirt floor, with her hands bound roughly to the pillar, was a young woman, whose short dark hair fell forward to cover her face. Jimmy could not help but let out a gentle sigh of relief as he recognised those delightfully familiar small hands, the elegant inward curl of her hair, and those delicate ears just peeping through it.

She glanced up. "Jimmy!"

"Suki!"

Neither had the strength for any further words, so simply gazed lovingly at the other as the seamen were forced to their knees. Englehorn caught a momentary glimpse of Jimmy's radiant smile of selfless relief and love, and for an instant felt a sensation of warmth rising within him, but soon subdued it as his wrists were bound to the pillar. Their captors left them, but a number remained to guard the entrance – three, he noted carefully, all armed with flint-topped spears.

"What are you doing here?" There was an almost musical tone of happiness in Suki's voice.

"Rescuing you," Jimmy told her, and the irony of their predicament brought a wry smile to even the Captain's lips. "What now, skipper?" the young seaman asked brightly, as if escape was the easiest thing in the world.

"We simply overpower the whole village and walk out."

"Right." Jimmy's incandescence dimmed slightly at this revelation, and he exchanged uncertain glances with Suki.

"Won't the others rescue us?" she asked.

"Not if they know what's good for them. If any member of my crew puts himself in danger for me, I'll abandon him at the first port we reach."

The skipper appeared to withdraw into his thoughts, casting his gaze around secretively from time to time, and Jimmy once more met Suki's irresistible dark eyes. He did not dare say it, but he had almost been hoping that he and Englehorn would be captured, that he might be reunited with his pretty New Zealander. Their hands were bound to the same pillar, and she brushed his fingers gently with her own, smiling demurely and sending shivers of delight running through him.

While they remained in this simple, loving attitude, the Captain was pondering their options. Despite his best efforts to instil his own stoical, brutally realistic mindset into the heads of his crew, he guessed that they would at least attempt a rescue, particularly with an idealistic playwright as their leader, but he was not prepared to rely on them. If he could negotiate with the old woman once more, he might be able to barter for their freedom – but with what? He turned his eyes slowly on Suki, an idea beginning to form in his head. Neither he nor Jimmy carried anything valuable enough to possibly tempt the natives – nothing that had not already been stolen, at least – but Suki's pockets might prove to be more helpful.

"When you first came on board," he began, "you told us of a jewel in your possession. Where is it now?"

"What do you want with my mother's brooch?"

"Where is it?"

She hesitated before answering, perhaps sensing his intentions. "I have it here, in a hidden pocket in my skirt. Why?" she asked hurriedly, for a glimmer of triumph appeared in the Captain's eyes as she spoke.

"It may tempt the natives."

"But it's my mother's!"

"Do you value it more than our lives?" She avoided his gaze anxiously and did not answer. "If I could show it to them, they may agree to exchange it for our freedom. We should at least try."

She shook her head. "It's all I have left of her. Please..."

"Very well." Englehorn said no more. His idea had been planted in her mind, along with its implications, and he knew that even now, guilt would be slowly persuading her to comply. He felt a brief pang of remorse, but attempted to overcome it.

The prisoners passed maybe fifteen minutes in silence, with Suki slumped helplessly against the pillar, before their captors entered and freed the Captain's hands, hoisting him to his feet

"Remember what I said," he told Suki, giving her a stern glance. An uncertain frown was her only reply.

Englehorn was brought into the centre of the village once more and thrown on the ground before the withered old woman who had interviewed him previously.

"What do you want?" he asked, although aware she could not understand a word.

She crowed a string of equally unintelligible words at him, before fixing him with a menacing glance. Ignoring her, the Captain began to draw in the dirt with his finger as before. Regardless of Suki's protectiveness, he wanted to try to barter for their freedom. With a great amount of care, he drew a gleaming precious stone, although the islanders would be unlikely to have ever seen one cut and polished in the typical manner. Next, he drew the Venture, not without a small pang of an unidentifiable emotion in his chest. Jane and the children were still aboard it, floating somewhere off the coast. In a moment's pause, he prayed that they were safe.

His artworks completed, he looked back up into the crone's sinister gaze and pointed to the ship, then to himself, then the stone, then her. She eyed him beadily, unmoving.

"Do you understand?"

In case she didn't, he added to his first drawing, making the stone even shinier. The woman halted him suddenly with a harsh call. Now she pointed to the stone, then to herself. Englehorn nodded eagerly and the crone appeared to think carefully for a moment. Her next movement was to hold out her hand expectantly.

"You want to see it?" He pointed towards the hut in which Jimmy and Suki remained, hoping he would be able to loosen her stubborn grip on her treasured heirloom, and was hoisted to hit feet once more even before the first pangs of doubt entered his mind.

On reaching the hut in which Jimmy and Suki had remained, Englehorn was momentarily released and addressed Suki hurriedly. "They want to see your brooch."

"You didn't..."

"We have no other choice. Once we are free, I promise to reimburse you, but for now we cannot allow ourselves to be sentimental."

Suki was left with no choice; their gaolers grew impatient and dragged all three prisoners into the centre of the village once more. The woman eyed Englehorn, her eyes glittering with mingled malice and curiosity.

"Show her," her muttered to Suki, who obediently produced a small package of blue velvet from a secret pocket under the waistband of her skirt. Taking it, the crone carefully unfolded the velvet inspected that which was hidden within. Jimmy, kneeling a little behind the others, could not make it out, but saw the old woman's eyes widen in awe as she saw it. At once, she nodded, and gave what appeared to be orders to release the prisoners.

"I told you it would work," Englehorn said to Suki with only a hint of triumph in his tone as they were both freed. She acknowledged him only with a regretful smile, looking so pretty as she did so that at any other moment Jimmy would have sighed wistfully. Now, with his hands still tightly bound, his only feeling was uncertainty.

"What about me?" he asked urgently. His guards did not move and Englehorn cast him a glance of concern.

"And him," he demanded, turning to the old woman while pointing at Jimmy.

She only shook her head, and slowly raised two fingers.

"No..." Englehorn's mouth felt suddenly dry as he understood. Jimmy was dragged to his feet and taken away towards the hut in which they had been formerly imprisoned together.

"What have you done?" Suki cried as she and the Captain simultaneously leapt after Jimmy, and were simultaneously restrained.

"Skipper!" Jimmy yelled.

"Let him go, you lying witch! We made a deal!"

Twisting and squirming in the grasp of her captors, Suki suddenly broke free and darted across the ground between herself and Jimmy, throwing her arms around his neck as she reached him. Perhaps she kissed him, perhaps she simply spoke into his ear – Englehorn could not tell in the confusion that followed.

"Take me instead!" he demanded, straining to be free. "Not him – me!" But his words were ignored. Suki and Jimmy were torn apart, and the young crewman dragged beyond the sight of his friends.

* * *

**A/N: **Is anyone still reading? If you are, please let me know what you thought of this chapter that was so long in the making, and maybe I'll write the next one after another few months... Thanks.


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